Why Is God Hidden?

I heard it said recently that one of the great atheists of our current age said, if there is a god he is one who likes to hide himself. No truer words have been spoken. Yahweh has hidden himself. This needs to be understood, even in the light of what it says in Romans:

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. (Romans 1:20)

Most will agree to this even though they would rather attribute it to a mythical "mother nature". There are even some scientists who acknowledge that creation was by design, they are just not convinced who designed it. However, their is a difference between seeing the invisible attributes and knowing the Creator.

Yahweh could have made it simple to find him but there is a point in him hiding his face. In Jeremiah 29 we find this verse:

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. (v. 13)

It was his promise that he gave to his nation, his chosen people, those who were suppose to glorify him to the whole world. He was sending them into captivity because of their rebellion but he was not sending them without hope. He was telling them that when they were ready to come back into relationship with him he would then bring them out of their captivity. Relationship was far more important than a comfortable life. This is a promise he had made long before they rebelled because Yahweh knew the heart of his people. Back in 2 Chronicles, during Solomon's time as king, he gave the same promise:

When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:13-14)

All of Yahweh's acts of correction of his children's behaviour was to have them turn back to him. The "seek my face" indicated the personal, intimate relationship he desired with his people. Do a word search of this phrase and see how often it was used. It is a point I fear we often miss; relationship with Jesus is of far greater value than any comfort or pleasure received in this world.

Have you ever wondered why there is so little evidence of anything throughout history? Why do we have to search so hard for little scraps of evidence of Biblical events and of the existence of Jesus? Because Yahweh has hidden himself so that we would have to search for him. He is quick to reveal himself to all those who earnestly seek him; those who search for him with all their heart. He isn't interested in massive crowds of lukewarm people paying him lip service. He is looking to have relationship with those who are wanting to love him with all their heart, all their soul, all their mind, all their strength. In the seeking we force ourselves to see things we do not want to deal with, to expose the secrets of our hearts, to admit that we can't save ourselves and need the intervention of our Creator.

Those of us who do know Jesus because we have searched for him, desiring to find him, know that our faith can never we shaken. It would be like denying the existence of my earthly father. I have known him, grew up under him, talk to him often, appreciate all that he has done for me. I am not about to agree with someone who says he doesn't exist just because they have never met him. Craziness.

Now to those of you who do know Jesus, let me encourage you in this thing. Remember, it is a relationship. It is not a one off. It is not a prayer that you prayed and now you are good for a lifetime. Relationships grow cold when neglected. Cold relationships lead to doubt and doubt drives in wedges. A relationship with Jesus requires a daily seeking. It requires time. It requires getting to know each other, which we do through the Word of God. It requires worship, appreciation, thanksgiving. You know Jesus so keep on knowing him every day, and let him fill you with wisdom and direction for your daily living. Remember, no longer what you want, but what he desires. That is a healthy relationship with Yahweh, who desires to be sought and found by everyone who.



 

Repentance Is A Good Thing

There are a lot of attractive things in this world. A lot of things that look and seem really good. There are a lot of things that give us a good feeling and when we are young we want to try them all. But as the apostle Paul said, we may think we have the right to do anything but "anything" is not always beneficial. Remember Eve and the temptation she faced when she considered that fruit. It looked good and she thought it would benefit her but it went against Yahweh's command. The fruit itself did not cause the damage as much as it was the act of disobedience.

Let's not lie to ourselves; there are consequences to sin. Some things look really good and beneficial but at the end of the day they destroy us, bringing shame and heartache. The apostle Paul wrote those words to the Corinthians who were trying to use the argument of Yahweh's grace as an excuse for sexual immorality. Today Christians use the excuse of Yahweh's love for the same purpose. They say because "God is love" that love is the basis for all things (which it is) so that if a relationship is based on love it is honouring and pleasing to Yahweh. This may be true if you want to ignore the hundreds of passages that deal with obedience. What comes out of a relationship of love with Yahweh? An overwhelming desire to obey. Jesus said, "If you love me obey my commands".

When we fail in our obedience (and we will), it is vital for us to grasp the importance of repentance. Repentance is more than just "I'm sorry" but a heart cry that comes with the conviction to turn away from that thing and have no part in it any more. It is a great desire to leave off rebellion and to walk in obedience, making obedience the great desire of our relationship because we love Yahweh with our entire heart. Obedience is a love response and it is in that love response that we begin to recognize good from evil, right from wrong.

Just picking out one of hundreds of examples in Scriptures of Yahweh's promise to respond to repentant hearts, look at 2 Chronicles 7. In this passage Yahweh is promising Solomon that when his nation responds to his correction with repentance, Yahweh will restore and bless them:

I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (vv. 12-14)

The unfortunate truth is that we are wrong sometimes. We get distracted. We move away from Jesus. We choose a wrong course. We get selfish. We are attracted to things that look good and seem beneficial but are set against the holiness of our God. We sin. Repentance is a good thing. Repentance is a restoring of things to their proper place. Repentance allows the Spirit to bring healing in the brokenness. Certainly we should know better. Yes we have failed. Yes, our failure has probably caused pain to others. But all we can do is trust that when Yahweh says he restores through repentance that he will do just that.

Consider the parable of the prodigal son that Jesus brought to this world. It is a story of hope. It is a parable of our relationship with the Father. The best thing the son did was consider his father. The best thing he did was come back in humbleness. The best thing he did was seek his father's face. Everything after that was the father. That is our Father. He will not deny a repentant heart and he will bring in restoration.

Have you made a mess of your life? Are things rough for you right now? Is there drought and pestilence in your "land"? This is simply the correction of the Father and the natural consequences of rebellion. There is nothing you can do to repair the damage but our Father has promised to bring healing. Run to him today. Repent and trust the Lord with all of it. Trust the Lord and be restored. Trust the Lord and see the healing flow. Repentance is a good thing.



 

Desperation

Are you desperate? Is there something you are facing that is beyond your ability or capacity to do anything about? Good; you are right where God wants you to be.

Do we worship a sadistic God? Not at all. We worship a Father who knows his children all too well. When we are desperate, we move closer to him. When we are satisfied, we move away.

Look at Israel. Every time they were at peace and had everything they wanted, they moved away from God and sought out false gods. Whenever enemies were attacking they grew desperate and turned back to God; and he always rescued them.

Look at Solomon. He had everything he wanted; rich beyond compare. He ended up following the gods of his hundreds of wives and concubines because he was not desperate for God. In the end this "wise" king was a fool and the dynasty fell apart. Yet,when he was young and afraid of the responsibilities he was given, he was desperate and called out to God and God was pleased to respond.

When was Israel the strongest? When they were desperate for provision in the desert. The generation that emerged from that 40 years of dependence on God every day was the strongest generation that ever walked this planet.

Why did God send his chosen people into exile? Because he had to make them desperate again so that they would seek him. They had forgotten how to be dependent. They were lost to him and he needed to wake them up before he lost them completely. Why do families do interventions when a member is killing themselves on drugs or alcohol? It seems cruel at the time but they are desperate to get through to that person, to save them. God is forced to do intervention with us when we turn from him and face certain death.

What did God say to Solomon after the temple was built? Listen to the heart of a Father who knows his children and has a plan to save them:

When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:13-14)

When do people seek the face of God? When are they interested in knowing him better? When do they start praying without ceasing? When they are desperate. It is amazing how desperation gives birth to determination. I am determined to see God because I am desperate for him. However, now I have the maturity that it does not take provision to provoke me to desperation. My desperation comes when I feel absent from God. I am desperate for his presence because I know I have nothing and am nothing without him.

However, when I was younger, my greatest growth in faith came every time I was forced to seek Jesus for protection and provision. I was desperate to be aware of his presence; desperate to be reminded of his promises; desperate to know deeply his love, compassion and grace. It was in those weary moments, panicked moments, lonely and desperate moments that Jesus became real like never before.

There is nothing wrong with desperate moments. Like Paul discovered, it is when we discover God's grace is sufficient and that in our weakness he shines brightest. In these moments we can often react like Paul as we are overwhelmed by the beauty of our Lord: I want to be weak all the time!

It is unfortunate that our old nature still tries to convince us that our Father wants us independent and strong. Just like the Israelites, our relationship with God is filled with great intimacy and great independence, and it is in those moments of independence that we set up other gods. We live in such times now, as we rely on everything but God.

We need renewal in our relationship but it isn't going to happen until we are desperate for him. To seek his face requires determination but determination requires desperation. Do you see what we have become? Do you see how far we have wandered away? Do you see how independent, self-sufficient we are? Does God really need to allow disaster upon us before we wake up, before we become desperate? Can't we hear his voice now? Won't we respond now? Haven't we learned from the generations before us? Why aren't we desperate?