Why does God Hide his Face?

 

Why doesn't God reveal himself to the World?

A common objection to Christian faith runs something like this: If God really does exist why doesn't he prove his existence in some dramatic and obvious five-senses way? 

Why must Christians appeal either to history (the incarnation, the miracles, the resurrection of Jesus) or to the future (the day of judgement), or to sixth-sense  'faith' in order to believe?

Why not some dazzling appearance, or other tangible, convincing proof?

It's a very good question.

"God has signed all of his masterpieces"

It could be argued - and Christians do - that evidence of God's existence is everywhere we look. We would reason that "time + chance + natural law" are simply insufficient to explain the beauty and complexity of this amazing world. 

(And now that scientists have pinned the age of the earth to around 5 billion years, the probabilistic reservoir this provides is defined and small: insufficient to generate the simplest gene by chance, let alone the simplest cell). 

One song writer in the Bible put it this way, "The heavens declare the glory of God," by which he meant that the universe reveals the existence of an incredibly wise designer. 

In our day, we should include fine-tuning as evidence pointing to Design. A great number of factors must combine to enable the universe to sustain life: a small change in any one of these factors would result in a sterile universe. Looks like Someone tweaked all the numbers.

The argument is this: God has made himself known, if we will only look forensically at the natural world. Every creature, planet and star has his signature engraved upon it. 

Or so the Christian argument runs.

"The problem may be with us, not God"

Suppose for a moment, that this argument is true, that God shouts to us through the created order. 

How come, then do some people not hear that voice? 

Could the problem be in the listener rather than the speaker?

Could our ears be closed?  Our eyes be blind?

Suppose there is something about us that resists acknowledging the existence of a God? 

Suppose, recognition of his reality might demand a change in my life? 

After all, if there is a God, he's surely our Master, is he not?

And presumably, if he is our Boss, we should ask him how he wants us to live?

Yes?

And this we do not want to do! We prefer to be masters of our own lives, captain of our own fates; we desire none to rule over us. 

We want to do what we want to do.

And so we suppress the knowledge of God, though it screams from every flower, star and planet.

We can all suppress truth, after all. 

We don't need historical illustrations or contemporary examples of truth-blindness. Our lives are full of personal examples.

So perhaps God has spoken, but the real problem is that our ears are stopped up?

"Perhaps we are asking for the wrong kind of proof"

Or perhaps we're asking for the wrong variety of proof. We're looking for some  manifestation which employs our five senses, evidence that would presumably overwhelmingly convince us.

Would that not be boring? After a while? Some dazzling shrine or flaming mountain to which doubters could travel and be blown away by divine manifestations of power?

And if the moral problem persisted in any case - we don't want to accept the existence of a God who may want to change our life-choices - what good would such an apparition be? 

Either we would not believe what we had just seen, or we'd believe but continue without amending life or lip.

(Assuming that is, we weren't annihilated in the encounter, for can anyone see God and live?)

Someone retorts "If I saw God I know I would believe in him!" 

Are you sure? Thousands saw the miracles of Jesus and did not believe him. 

The evidence problem may be far more entrenched than we care to admit.

"Are we looking for the wrong kind of God?"

And then, as I wind up, are we looking for the wrong kind of God? A power-god, who dwells in a Bara-dur or Burj Kahlifa kind of sanctuary which would overwhelm the physical senses?

Perhaps we've got the character of God all wrong.

Perhaps he is not a Shock and Awe kind of God.

"A Humble Servant God"

Suppose the God who made the universe, as powerful and mighty as he must be, is actually gentle and humble and loving. 

Suppose that for love's sake he hides his glory, so that we can see him and live.

And suppose that he has revealed himself most fully, not in the violent energy of supernovae or the power of hurricanes, but in a still quiet voice.

Suppose that Jesus of Nazareth was God come to earth, a humble, ordinary, we-can-relate-to real human being.

Suppose his life of compassion (oh and power), of meekness (yes, and majesty) reveals the true heart of God.

Not some power-hungry, in your face kind of deity, but a God who loves to serve those he created. 

Perhaps the servant-hearted humility of God explains why he does not submit to our foolish and childlike demands for showy power proofs. 

This is why we need Faith

The reason we need divine faith is not the absence of evidence.

We need faith because of the hardness of our hearts. 

Faith opens our eyes to reality. 

All of a sudden heaven above is softer blue, earth around a sweeter green, something lives in every hue that Christless eyes have never seen. Birds with gladder songs o’erflow, and flowers with deeper beauties shine...

All this glory was there before we were given the gift of faith.  

But faith, along with a changed heart gives sight.

AI Image:
"Dalle draw someone hiding  in the style of van gogh"