Does God Hide?

 “And I will surely hide My face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.” (Deuteronomy 31:18)

Does God hide from His children on this side of Calvary? No. God does not play “hide and seek.”  He said if we search for Him with all our heart, we will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13). God did not hide from the Israelites nor the believers in the early New Testament days, and He does not hide from us, but He does turn His face away from evil. What did the Israelites do for God to hide His face? They were on the brink of crossing over into the Promise Land, and God foreknew they would follow other gods. He gave them fair warning that “in that day”—because of the evil He knew they would do—He would hide His face from them.

God does not hide; we are the ones who hide or think we hide from God. He knows every sinful act we have done and all the future evil intents of our hearts. Sometimes we are the “other god” we choose to follow, and He knows the path disobedience paves—troublesome days, and we live in troubling times today.

What are “all the evils” done by turning to other gods? God revealed some of those as He instructed Isaiah to tell the questioning people that their pretense of worship, repentance, fasts, and prayers did not move Him because they acted on their own behalf, not His. Only after they humbled themselves would He rescue them from their troubles. God was interested in fasts and penance that led to right-living: help the needy with food, clothing, and housing; help family members in need; stop quarreling and gossiping. By doing this, their lives would turn around, and God Himself would give them safe passage. They would call out for help, and He would say, “Here I am” (Isaiah 58).

We live in desperate times. We cry out to God, yet He sometimes stays unmoved. Is our worship, prayers, repentance, and fasts genuine, from the heart? Is God impressed by these godly but insincere actions from individuals or a nation? Evidence is clear that He is not. So, what can you and I do? Seek His face with a humble heart and live obediently to His Word. He is not hiding but very nearby. When rightly related to Him, He will lift you and me to walk in righteousness amid difficult days (James 4:8–10).