The God Who Hides and Reveals Himself

From The Prophetic Etiquette Series

There are two things about God that never cease to astonish me: He hides, and He reveals. And—He is very good at both.

Isaiah captures this paradox in a single breath:

“Truly You are God, who hide Yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior… I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth; I did not say to the seed of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in vain’; I, the LORD, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.” — Isaiah 45:15, 19

One moment He is cloaked in mystery, tucked away in silence. The next He is radiant, speaking clearly, uncovering Himself with breathtaking clarity.

Why would God do both?

Because He wants us to seek Him. Not because He is lost, but because He wants to be sought out.

Some argue and say that God does not hide himself. I simply reply — well in Scripture He calls Himself ‘the invisible God.”

Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Timothy 1:17

Making oneself invisible is a great way to hide, don’t you think?

The Child’s Game of Peek-a-Boo

Think of the first game almost every parent plays with a baby—peek-a-boo. The parent hides their face, then reveals it again. And in that moment, both faces shine with joy. Then, the child says what? “Do it again!”

This simple and universal game carries a profound truth: love grows in the rhythm of hiding and revealing, absence and presence, longing and reunion. It is a training ground for trust and delight. I think this game is a parable woven into the fabric of human existence and relationships that points to the existence of God.

As children grow, peek-a-boo turns into hide-and-seek. The hiding grows more elaborate. The seeking more desperate. There is laughter, then tension, then relief. And in the moment of discovery, the bond between seeker and hider is strengthened.

God, the great Father, plays a holy hide-and-seek with us. Not as a cruel joke, but as an invitation to a deeper joy.

The God Who Wants to Be Wanted

The prophet Jeremiah speaks this tender promise:

“You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. — Jeremiah 29:13–14

God hides because He wants us to seek. He conceals because He desires our desire. He stirs hunger so that we might taste the feast of His presence. He wants to be wanted by you and me. Isn’t it amazing that He doesn’t force us to love Him?

Love that is coerced is no love at all. So God waits. He whispers. He scatters clues across our days like breadcrumbs in a garden path—signs in Scripture, in creation, in the quiet nudges of His Spirit.

He hides in order to be found.

The Hope to Grope … and then … Find!

The apostle Paul, standing among philosophers in Athens, spoke of the God who created the heavens and the earth:

And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being…. — Acts 17:26–28a NKJV

This is astonishing: God Himself carries a hope that His children will grope for Him. Not just the religious, not just the polished, but every human soul—whether they yet trust Jesus or not.

He is hiding “in plain sight.” Creation is smeared all over with His fingerprints. Scripture breathes His voice. The Spirit whispers in conscience, in beauty, in ache, in longing. But these are not detected by our physical senses alone.

Solomon prayed for a “heart with ears” (1 Kings 3:9). Paul prayed for believers to have “the eyes of your hearts enlightened” (Eph. 1:18). Our hearts carry senses more profound than sight or sound. Spiritual senses—deeper, truer—tuned to perceive the God who is near though unseen.

The seeking has been ordained. So has the finding.

And the miracle is this: in the very act of groping, of reaching with fumbling hands and hungry hearts, we become love-bonded to Him. The God who hides does not tease us—He woos us. The struggle of searching becomes the soil of intimacy. — Acts 17:26–28

A Reflection on Presence

Sometimes God feels radiant and obvious—His nearness like sunlight warming your face. Other times, He seems veiled—like a voice behind a wall, or a hand reaching through the fog.

Both moments are love. Both invite us into the mystery. Both awaken the deeper senses of the heart—the eyes that see the unseen, the ears that hear beyond sound.

For in the seeking, we are bonded. And in the finding, we are undone by joy.

The Invitation

So if God feels hidden today, take heart. He has not abandoned you. He is inviting you into the joy of the search.

Seek Him with all your heart. Push past the noise. Whisper His name. Knock on the door. He has promised—He will be found.

And when He reveals Himself, your heart will burst like a child’s laughter when the face of love appears again.

✝️ Prayer: Lord, thank You for being the God who hides and reveals. Teach me to seek You with joy, even in the silence. Awaken my hunger. Renew my trust. And let the moment of finding You fill me with childlike wonder again. Amen.

👉 Reflection question for readers: Where in your life right now does God feel hidden? And what would it look like to seek Him with all your heart in that very place?