A God who Hides

It is often asked why God seems so hidden. Why do we sometimes not see God's presence clearly in our lives? Why do we not always clearly know what God wants us to do next? I have had times when I felt God was definitely leading me to do something. But I have had other times when I was not that clear on what God wanted me to do. Why does this happen? I do not claim to know all the answers, and certainly not the answer for every situation. But one of the basic reasons is that God wants us to be willing to learn to trust Him (Proverbs 3:5,6; Psalms 37:3-6; Hebrews 11:6). It should be noted that God does not want us simply to believe He exists, but to trust Him and follow Him. In previous times when God has more openly manifested Himself, there have been those who have followed Him simply for the external benefits it gave them (John 6:26; Numbers 11:4-6; 1 Timothy 6:5). So one of the things God does to encourage us to trust Him for who He is, is to remain hidden. For it is often during the difficult seasons of life that true faith is built.