There are many questions around the presence of God and how to experience His presence today. Can we experience our Almighty God on a daily basis or is He hidden? In the Bible, many acts are recorded including God appearing to people, performing incredible and undeniable miracles, speaking audibly, and many other things that we do not witness today. Why is this? Why was God so willing to reveal Himself in Bible times but seems “hidden” and silent today? Why did that stop?
Though He may appear to be silent, the truth is, God is far from hidden. God has already completed a plan of progressive revelation to mankind. During His centuries-long process of communication, God at times used miracles and directly addressed people in order to reveal His character, His instructions and His plans. In between God’s times of speaking, there was silence. The Bible tells us, “Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD in the presence of Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision” (1 Samuel 3:1). At times like this, His power was not evident, and new revelation was not forthcoming.
When Jesus came to earth after 400 “silent years” from God, He performed miracles to prove that He was indeed the Son of God and to foster faith in Him. The Bible tells us, “’But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sons’ – He then said to the paralytic – ‘Rise, pick up your bed and go home.’” We also see in the Book of John, “But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father” (John 10:38). After His miraculous resurrection, He enabled His apostles to continue performing miracles in order to prove they were truly sent by Him, again so that people would believe in Jesus and heed the New Testament that the apostles were writing.
There are several reasons why after the time of the apostles, God is no longer speaking audibly to us or making Himself as evident. As previously noted, God has already spoken. His words were faithfully written down and they have been miraculously kept for us through the ages. The Bible is finished. God’s revelation is done. We have the completed Scripture and we need no further miracles to validate the Bible, which has already been validated. The Bible tells us, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). In God’s perfect Word is everything we need ‘for doctrine, for reproof, for correction and instruction in righteousness. We need nothing more, and we are not to seek extra-biblical revelations, for doing this call into question the value of Scripture that God has declared to be sufficient.
Though God may seem hidden, He is far from it. If we allow it to, the Bible itself will help us understand whether God hides. The Bible says, “But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find [Him’ if you seek Him will all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 4:29). God says when we acknowledge Him and reach out to Him for guidance and direction in our lives, He will not remain Hidden. We can’t ignore God and expect Him to communicate with us. In fact, we are warned that if we continue to live contrary to God’s law, we simply can’t have access to God. Isaiah 59:12 says, “Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; not His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” If we expect God not to remain hidden from us, we must seek to find Him and live by His revealed Word.
The Holy Spirit is present and speaks to us. The Bible tells us, “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever” (John 14:16). He is our Comforter in this world. He may work with our consciousness to help and guide us. It’s also important to understand that the Spirit is not giving new revelation today. Rather, He speaks to us through the written Word of God. The Bible tells us, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26). The Spirit will often bring specific Scriptures to mind at times when we need them most.
The Good News is that God’s ultimate unveiling is coming. After all mankind has come to the knowledge of God and His plan for mankind has been completed, God promises He will be more visible and accessible than ever. People will no longer wonder if God hides. The Bible tells us, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, God Himself will be with them and be their God” (Revelation 21:1-3). We have a wonderful thing to look forward to.
Contrary to what you may think or feel, God has not been hiding from you. In fact, He wants a personal relationship with you. So if you wonder if God is hidden, know that He is very alive and active in the presence of our lives. Open up your Bible right now and ask God to reveal Himself to you. Come and see the wonderful things He has prepared for you. Accept God into your life today.
