Relating to God When He Hides

Posted by: J.P. Moreland

August 27, 2010

I recently did at talk about the "hiddenness of God" and how to relate to God when He seems absent.

One of the things I mention is the need to continue seeking God even if one is not seeing results from such seeking.

But what does this look like? Here are some practical suggestions.

First, awaken in the morning and invite God to be with you during the day. Continue to pray during the day, even in the midst of various activities, in order to seek to observe where God may be moving during the day (e.g., is there someone at work who shares a burden with me and, if so, how can God use me to respond helpfully to such sharing).

Second, continue to be faithful in doing your best to obey biblical commands (e.g., I continue to express gratitude throughout my day for things for which I am thankful; I seek to do good to all those who cross my path).

Third, when you do this, you should grow in the experience of a deepening, steady peace, surrounded by a sense that you are in God's hands. Come to realize that being faithful in the midst of darkness is a redemptive approach to your life by means of which you have an assurance and confidence that you are maturing in the way of Jesus.

You can learn more about the hiddenness of God by listening to my talk here. The above practices are good and worthwhile even if God does not seem hidden. But they are especially relevant when God seems absent. Why? Because as I said in my talk, a main reason that God does hide is so that we would seek Him wholeheartedly. The above helps to forge a habit of fidelity in our seeking.