God Is Not Hiding

O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all.

I’ve often prayed, “Lord, I want to see you,” as if God were hiding from me. I’ve begged, “Lord, I want to hear you,” as if he has gone silent or his Word has become void.

The truth is, God never stops speaking through Scripture; we simply become too busy to be still, look around us, listen, and linger in his presence (see Romans 1:20; Hebrews 4:12).

The glory of God spans the heavens above—brushstrokes of feathered clouds, a glowing crescent moon, a rainbow stretching across the sky after a storm, and shooting stars that beckon us to worship (see Psalm 19:1-2). Trees clap joyfully, swaying in the breeze, sending their roots down into the soil as they praise God, who planted them (see Isaiah 55:12).

Everywhere we look, God’s creation reminds us of truths about his character. The flowers we buy at the grocery store to admire and set in vases on the kitchen counter inevitably fade, reminding us that life is fleeting but God’s Word endures forever (see 1 Peter 1:24-25). The beams of light radiating from the sun expose darkness, just as the light of the gospel reveals the darkness of sin in our hearts (see Ephesians 5:13). Trees stretch out their limbs to receive light from the sun and produce fruit, but they must also stay connected to the plant for nutrients. In the same way, we must remain attached to Jesus, the true Vine, our source of life (see John 15:1-11).

God, the Creator of the universe, reflects his glory through his creation (see Psalm 8:1-4). His thumbprint is stamped on this world and in the marrow of our own bones. He is speaking, he is moving, he is with us. It’s not that God has gone silent or hidden; it’s that we have become blinded and our ears have become clogged with the noise of life.

The life-giving words of Scripture are a defibrillator, shocking the lifeless soul out of its slumber. They pulse new life into stone-cold hearts (see Psalm 119:25).

If we truly want to see God and hear God, we have to know him first through the Word, where he has revealed himself. As you go about your day, open your eyes to God’s character as he reveals himself through his creation and through his Word.

Word before World God has revealed himself to us through his Word and through the world he has made.

Grow in Grace Take a walk outside, if you can, or sit next to a window. What details of God’s creation do you notice? How does beholding God’s glory in creation remind you of his character?