Hidden or Revealed
Author
Carmen Ray-Calvo
Summary: In prolonged affliction, we may feel forgotten by God and ask, as David did, “How long?” If we do not draw near to Him with our whole being, fear can lead us to doubt His protection, faithfulness, or forgiveness. When He seems to hide His face, we must lay hold of His Word and promises by faith, cultivate deep intimacy with Jesus Christ, and walk in the power of His Spirit. His apparent silence does not mean absence: God remains near and can use the trial to give us wisdom, awaken a hunger for Him, and teach us to see spiritually. Like Job, we can emerge strengthened, with a deeper knowledge of His greatness and sovereignty.
The Psalmist David, in a moment of affliction, pours out his soul before God because he thought that God had forgotten him. This can happen to a child of God at a time when he is going through certain vicissitudes in daily life;
and this situation can unleash a series of afflictions, anguish, and despair, to the point of causing him to doubt divine protection and the faithfulness of our God.
David, afflicted by adverse circumstances, asks the Lord the same question four times in just two verses: How long?
When an affliction is prolonged, as children of God we must draw near to our God with our whole being and establish a close relationship with Him. If we do not, we will sink into fears and all kinds of negative questions such as these:
Has God forgotten me?
Could He be punishing me?
Is there some hidden sin in my life for which God is punishing me? Etc.
When the thought assails us that God has hidden His face from us, that is the time to claim His Word and His promises by faith. I am encouraged to tell you that faith in Jesus Christ is the vehicle in which all His blessings travel into your life. Develop a deep intimacy with Him and walk in the power of His Spirit.
When God hides His face from you, He gives you understanding and wisdom, so that in this way you may understand what His purposes are for your life. So that you may feel a burning desire for more of Him in your daily life and desire new experiences in your walk with your Creator. When God hides His face from us, He teaches us to see with the eyes of the Spirit; otherwise, we would have only a superficial knowledge of what is happening in the spiritual realm.
Job also felt forgotten by God and declared, “Oh, that I knew where I might find God!”
“I would go even to His seat” (Job 23:3)
At the end of his trial, Job emerged strengthened and with vast experience of God’s immense greatness and the power of His sovereignty, and then he confessed, “I had heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eyes see You” (Job 42:5)
When God hides His face from us, that does not mean that He is absent. He never leaves us alone. When Jacob thought he was alone, he was moved to make this declaration: “Surely the Lord is in this place” Gen. 28:16
When God reveals Himself to us, situations change; we feel strengthened, blessed, and very joyful. When you are going through a conflict. When you believe that God does not hear your prayers, when you do not feel Him, remember that He is very near you.
Hide yourself away from everything that distracts you and withdraw into absolute intimacy, and you will be able to enjoy a beautiful revelation with your Creator and confess as Job did: “I had heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eyes see You.”