The Hiddenness of God

UV 465/10,000 The Hiddenness of God Isa 45:15 Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour. In the beginning, after Adam and Eve sinned, they hid themselves from God. Man was offered multiple right choices from the Garden Eden but he chose the one wrong one. Thereafter, it was God’s turn to hide. Hereafter, there would be multiple wrong choices for man and one right choice. He revealed Himself first as the only right choice to Israel through Abraham, Moses and the prophets. He chose Israel for He found in Abraham, the father of that nation, the modicum of faith needed to establish His kingdom on earth. But, His final and complete revelation to all mankind came through the Saviour Jesus Christ, the one Anointed to save all mankind and free them from the need to hide from the Holy God who created them. When we discover who God is, we discover the very purpose of our lives. We will be able to align our thoughts, desires, emotions and actions with that purpose. The hiddenness of God has led to mankind in different geographical locations and points in history speculating about His Being and bringing out their own often imagined versions of who they think God is or should be. It is a fact that unless God reveals Himself, it is impossible to find Him or know Him or relate to Him. The hiddenness of God is a prerequisite for faith. It was not a mere game of hide and seek. If He did not hide Himself, there would be no need for faith. But, faith needed to be based on a solid foundation of evidence, experience and history. Another prerequisite is that individually, we should seek Him not just superficially but with all our hearts and He has promised that we will find Him. It is not as if God alone is hidden but many of the best aspects of life are hidden. It takes a lot of searching and persistence for instance, to find raw minerals like gold or silver ore. The hiddenness of God presupposes the need for all who believe that He exists to seek for Him and to seek diligently. Not only is God hidden from the perception of our senses, His truths are hidden in His Word. When we study diligently His Word, we discover the truth about the origin of the universe, the character and power of God and His plan for redemption of mankind. The practical application of this uni-verse is that we need to seek God and His will for our lives with diligence, persistence and with all our heart. When we do so, He will no longer remain withdrawn, aloof, silent, hidden, subtle or discreet but He will reveal His glory to us like the noon-day sun lights up all in its path. Prateep V Philip