“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
Matthew 6:6 (NIV)
The craving to be seen is universal: We were made to be known. But there is only one who can do this. He is the one who created us to live with moments and hours that no one else can understand.
And that’s where the mysterious beauty of hiddenness comes in. We who live most of our days in and around the people of this world, don’t naturally hide ourselves in God. We don’t naturally look to his expression toward us to drive us. We respond instead to the looks and applause and the direction of others around us. Thus, he hides us—and masterfully.
God sometimes hides us in obscure circumstances. He takes us out of an upfront role so we can discover the beauty of falling in love with him when no one else is looking on or applauding. We sit behind a desk, toiling at a job no one appreciates. We push a stroller, change diapers, and rock crying babies to sleep. We attend a church whose mission isn’t quite the perfect fit with who we are and how we’re gifted, and we serve, quietly and unacknowledged, in the background.
Sometimes God hides us in hardship or suffering. Other times, God hides us in plain sight, right in the midst of a life that keeps going full tilt, so we learn how to find him while still pursuing a career or leading a ministry or running a household.
Yes, all of us experience being hidden—hidden on purpose. Perhaps hidden for now simply because God enjoys how we give our all to him—our inner-thoughts, our prayers, our focused devotion—in private. God designed us so that we would hide in him, not perform for him.
Reflect:
Read Matthew 6:1–18, paying special attention to Jesus’ description of God seeing what takes place in secret. How do Jesus’ teachings here particularly challenge or inspire you?
Pray:
Pray in secret and quietness. Recognize God’s faithful presence with you. Speak words or simply listen, resting in God’s presence.
While we pray for peace, we need moral clarity about this war.
We’ve got little information on Jesus’ appearance and personality. But that’s the way God designed it.españolFrançais
Christian artists work at the intersection of music and climate change.
