Why Does God Seem So Hidden?
How God Reveals Enough to Be Found, but Not Enough to Coerce
Sixteen years ago, my wife experienced her second miscarriage in less than a year. During a routine ultrasound, our daughter’s heart had stopped beating, and the doctor pronounced her dead.
There is a happy ending to this story, but before we get there, I want to point out something many people ask in moments like these:
Why does God seem so hidden?
We are called to trust in an immaterial God whom we cannot see, especially when we need Him most. This is one of the primary reasons many atheists object to God’s existence. They argue that if God truly exists and is all-loving, He would reveal Himself more overtly so that people would have an easier time believing.
But this objection falls flat when we apply it consistently to other areas of life.
For one, we cannot see gravity, yet we know it exists through its effects. Likewise, loving parents do not reveal everything to their young children. They often shield them from certain realities, not out of a lack of love, but an abundance of it.
Though none of us are in a position to determine how overt God should be, we can recognize that belief in God remains fully rational despite the hiddenness objection.
With that in mind, it is still wise to consider why God might choose not to reveal Himself more plainly.
Understanding the reasons for alleged divine hiddenness not only strengthens our faith, but may even make us grateful.
Clearly Perceived
The book of Romans makes one thing very clear: God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power, and His divine nature are clearly seen in the world around us.1 No one has an excuse to reject God and claim they did not know. God’s existence is evident through the effects we observe all around us.
It is through these effects, some of which I explore in other articles, that we can reason back to God. For example, if murder is always wrong, in all circumstances, then there must be a moral standard outside ourselves that grounds that truth. Thus, we can reason back to a transcendent moral standard giver.
But beyond what God reveals in nature, we also have overwhelming special revelation. These are specific moments in history, documented in Scripture, when God has revealed Himself more overtly to move forward His plan of redemption and restoration.
He Can Only Woo
Even accepting that God is perceived through nature, reason, and special revelation, we often find ourselves wanting more. We strongly desire to see God plainly for ourselves, especially in moments of suffering.
Yet here lies the challenge.
God created us not to be robots, but to love Him and to love others. But love must be given freely, or it is not love at all. Love that is forced, mandated, or coerced is a logical contradiction.
Most of us can remember times as children doing questionable things when our parents were not around. Things we would never have done if they were present. Of course, we still wanted to steal cookies from the jar, but their presence alone was enough to stop us.
How much more overwhelming would it be if an infinitely powerful God suddenly appeared before us in His full glory? What real choice would remain to freely choose Him?
Our acceptance of Him would be coerced. Our ability to freely love, which is the very thing God desires, would be removed before we even had the chance to decide whether we love Him or not.
Our finite will stands no chance against the infinite power of God.
Thus, as C. S. Lewis puts it:
God “cannot ravish; He can only woo.”2
God cannot logically overpower our free will and at the same time preserve our freedom to choose. So instead, He remains perfectly accessible, yet not overwhelmingly revealed, allowing us to examine the evidence of His glory and freely decide whether we will accept or reject Him.
But one day, just as a parent reveals more to their children when they are ready, God will reveal Himself fully to those who have freely chosen Him, sealing that choice for eternity.3
This future event is known in Christian theology as the Beatific Vision.
Divine Mercy
Though God does not overpower our free will, we must recognize that there are moments in history when He has revealed Himself more overtly than usual. These are rare times when God performs unmistakable miracles, speaks audibly, parts seas, and more. Many people ask why God does not do these same things now to make it easier to believe.
While this may sound appealing at first, it is wise to step back and consider what that would actually mean.
First, witnessing miracles does not guarantee a change of heart. The people of the Exodus witnessed astonishing miracles, such as the parting of the sea. Those alive during the time of Jesus witnessed impossible healings and even people raised from the dead. It is difficult to imagine a more overt revelation of God without crossing the line into overpowering someone’s free will.
Yet what happened after these acts of God occurred? Did everyone bow down and immediately believe?
Certainly not! The Israelites quickly forgot what they had seen and began worshiping a golden calf almost immediately. The people who witnessed the great miracles of Jesus flat out rejected and crucified Him.
Seeing miracles, no matter how extraordinary, will not ensure change in those who want to define their own gods.
Second, when people receive greater revelation of God through special acts, and still reject Him, the judgment due becomes far more severe. Their excuses diminish, and they are held to a much higher standard of accountability.
Consider these heavy words of Jesus:
“And you, Capernaum… if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.” — Matthew 11:23–24
Seek Me and You Will Find Me
A few days after our daughter’s heart stopped, we returned to the doctor for a procedure to have her lifeless body removed from my wife. But right before the operation began, I felt an overwhelming conviction that I can only describe as coming directly from the Holy Spirit. I needed to ask the doctor to check for life one last time, just in case.
The doctor, having good bedside manners, obliged us to put our minds at ease. But as he began, the ultrasound revealed something amazing.
My daughter was alive! Her heart was beating, and no one could explain it.
Maybe she was alive the whole time, and all of us looking at the original ultrasound were collectively mistaken. Maybe the first ultrasound machine glitched. Maybe she was really dead and God truly resurrected her, as I firmly believe.
I cannot know for certain. But what I do know plainly is this: I was given a clear conviction to ask the doctor to check one last time. Had I not listened, my daughter would not be getting her license right now, 16 years later.
Yet I will admit something. Even after experiencing firsthand what I believe to be the greatest act a parent could witness, the restoration of a child thought to be dead, I still fail daily. I was still a lukewarm Christian for a decade after that moment. I still did not fully recognize the depth of God’s providence in that experience.
Reflecting on this now, I consider it a mercy that I do not continually see overt acts or manifestations of God. I know I would still fail, even after such incredible revelation. I am, like all of us, absolutely hopeless without a Savior. Yet God still loves me enough not to give up on me. He loves me enough to willingly take upon Himself the justice I deserve.
That is more than enough for me now.
“Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” — John 20:29
It is interesting. So often we demand that the all-powerful Creator of the universe meet us on our terms. Yet perhaps the question is how we can meet Him on His.
The evidence for God is clear. If we seek Him earnestly, we will find Him. It may not happen on our terms or in our timing, but God desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.4
So continue seeking with all your heart, and consider it a blessing when the evidence leads you to conviction, without need for overt special acts.
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” — Jeremiah 29:12–13
C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters, Letter 8.
This is excellent brother! I loved hearing your personal story of your daughter and the miracle of God!