Divine Silence, or, The "Hiddenness" of God

General Faith
1

If God desires a relationship with every human being, why does He often feel so hidden? Is His silence a test, a mercy, or a result of our own limitations?

Many people struggle with why God doesn’t make His presence more “obvious” to everyone. I hear things like “If God wants everyone to be saved, why doesn’t He write His name in the stars or appear to every person individually?”

If God made His existence an absolute, undeniable fact, would we be “loving” Him, or just “submitting” to an irresistible force? Does silence create the necessary space for true, uncoerced love to grow? True faith to flourish?

Perhaps God stays hidden sometimes to see if we are seeking Him, or just seeking the benefits of Him (blessings, answers, comfort)? Does the “silence” refine our character in a way that an “audible” God wouldn’t?

Perhaps we are missing God’s “speech” because we’ve pre-defined how He should answer us? How do we distinguish between God being silent and us simply being “tuned to the wrong frequency”?

Let’s talk about it.
Peter

2

That’s a big question and I don’t think it has one answer. I think we need to remember that we’re saved by our faith and if God manifested Himself to everyone, where does the faith come in? It’s our perception that makes us think God is absent. By faith we believe when Jesus said, “Never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you.” I’ve prayed in the past and my perception of that prayer was nothing. Did He even hear me, and only to find that prayer answered a year later, and in a way I never thought of.

The Bible says the heavens declare the glory of God. Are we looking? Sometimes we don’t see because we don’t know how to look and we are to look through the eyes of faith. Some people have had Jesus appear to them or God has made Himself known to them. We read about it, but that’s not my experience. We’re all different and God knows how to relate to each of us. Do we know how to relate to God?

There are some people, who even if they saw and believed, would not obey or follow God. Pharoah of Egypt with Moses is one example. What about Judas who walked with the Lord for 3 years. If God made His presence known to all men, not all men would become His children.

If we can give anything to God at all (and that is questionable) then it must be to believe Him. It’s that work of faith in our hearts that He gives and we receive. The just shall live by faith. Believing is a choice. It’s not that seeing is believing. It’s believing is seeing.

1 Like
3

Yes, that reminds me of two places in the Word that describe this. The first one that popped into my mind was when Jesus said this to Thomas.

" Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29

You know who else saw Him. The Pharisees, Scribes, Religious Leaders, those same people that Jesus said this to.

“Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.” John 8:43-44

The second was in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.

“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 'No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 'He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” Luke 16:29-31

Jesus DID return from the dead, and still people do not believe.

I do believe that God speaks to all of us. I believe He can and does speak to each of us in our own understanding of receptiveness. Sometimes we feel God is silent because we are looking for a “burning bush” when He is speaking in a “still, small voice.” We may think we need a grand gesture or a thundering voice, but God knows we respond better to a gentle tug, a whisper, or something highlighted in His Word.

Do you think we may be missing God’s “speech” because we’ve pre-defined how He should answer us? How do we distinguish between God being silent and us simply being “tuned to the wrong frequency”?
Peter

4

I don’t know why God is “ hidden”, but he is not technically hidden. He is here with us as the holy spirit 24/7. He might be silent sometimes but it’s according to his will. His will is to remain silent sometimes for our own salvation plan.

1 Like
5

I read a book called ‘They found the Secret’ and it was about famous Christians and they’re walk with God. One man was known as Praying Hyde (I could be wrong on the name) and another man gave his testimony when Hyde was asked to pray for him. He said Hyde began with silence and in that silence he was aligning his will to God’s will. He laid down his own will and came to a place where is only desire was God’s will. When he came to that place, he began to pray.

I recall a time where I did this and it’s not easy to do because I had my own desire for an outcome. When I got no answer and time was running out, I asked myself what I thought God would want me to do. It wasn’t what I wanted to do, but I did it because that seemed to be His answer. He acknowledged my choice in a miraculous way, but only after I had stepped out in faith.

I mention this now because I think we often go to God with our own agenda on how we want Him to work things out and are often met with silence. We want to hear, but we want to hear a yes to what we’re asking or we want to see, but we want to see for our own benefit somehow. In this we are ‘tuned into the wrong frequency’.

If we begin with the true premise that God never leaves us to flounder, than we will see His hand more often. It’s what His word says and by faith we believe His word.