God Hides Himself
Some have claimed that the Russian cosmonaut, Yuri Alekseyevich Gagari, did not say that he did not see God when he orbited the earth on April 12, 1961. The Russians denied that he actually said those words. But Nikita Khrushchev said in a speech to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet that, “Gagarin flew into space, but didn’t see any god there.”1 Therefore, at least one person and a significant one at that said he did say those words. Are you impressed that after the Russians orbited our tiny earth, they would be able to so quickly conclude God did not exist anywhere in this vast universe? According to recent studies by Princeton University, using Hubble Telescope data, scientists have concluded the farthest extent of the universe is 13.4 billion light years away.2
Imagine, one isolated planet among trillions of stars and planets, and they so confidently tell us we do not need to wonder if God exists. Did they rule out the possibility that the universe might be inside something like an aquarium and God is on the outside looking in? I wonder if they considered that God is always visible to the human eye? God is hiding? If we were to get close, would He move away?
Several years ago one man submitted a question to NeverThirsty.org asking why God did not just show Himself to the world and remove all doubt of His existence. He had a thoughtful solution to the problem of the existence of God. To him that seemed to be extremely logical. But what would he do if God did show Himself? If God showed Himself and said, “Hello, I am God,” then what he do? I wonder what an atheist would do? In an interview some years ago Ben Stein asked Richard Dawkins how humans came to live on planet earth. Richard Dawkns revealed that he did not believe humans were put on earth by God but by aliens from another planet.3 Richard Dawkins was okay with aliens putting humans on planet earth, just as long as the alien was not God. So what would Richard Dawkins do if he actually saw God? It is obvious he had concluded that God did not exist. Has Richard Dawkins ever asked, “Is it possible that God is hiding?”
In the Bible we are told that a group of Baal priests had claimed that Jehovah God did not exist! They thought they had the answer. They claimed their god, Baal, existed. The Bible says that there was a contest between them and one of God’s prophets named Elijah (1 Kings 18:20-40). Elijah won the contest. Both Elijah and the priests each constructed an altar with a sacrifice on the altar. The priests went first. They put a lot of wood on the altar and prayed, asking their god to torch the altar with fire. All morning they pleaded with their god to send down fire. At noon Elijah teased them by saying, “Maybe your god, Baal, was asleep or on a trip.” By midday there was still no fire from heaven. Then Elijah prayed and immediately fire descended from heaven and consumed Elijah’s sacrifice and the altar. But still God did not show Himself. So, let’s ask again, “Is it possible that God is hiding?” What do you think?
The Bible actually has the answer to this question. In Isaiah 45:15 the prophet Isaiah says this,
Truly, You are a God who hides Himself,
O God of Israel, Savior!
Isaiah 45:15 (NASB)
The Hebrew word for “hides” is satar. It literally means “to hide” or “to conceal.” That is, God is hiding from us! So, does that mean God is afraid to show Himself? Why would God not let us see Him? The answer is not that He is afraid. The answer is revealed in a conversation between Moses and God. Moses asked to see God. So the man, I mentioned earlier, who had said, “Why doesn’t God just show Himself?” was not the first person to ask the question. Moses asked God to show Himself. Here is God’s reply.
You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” Exodus 33:20 (NASB)
God’s message is simple. If He showed Himself, then whoever would see Him would die. Now think about the implication of that statement. Remember the man who asked, “Why doesn’t God just show Himself?” If he saw God, then he would die. He would not be alive on this planet to tell anyone what he saw. He would not be alive to do anything with his new knowledge. In fact, if God showed Himself to the entire world then everyone would be dead. Now we know that Yuri Alekseyevich Gagari did not see God, because if he had seen God then he would not have lived to say anything about God. If Richard Dawkins saw God, then he would no longer be teaching others that God did not exist. Any atheist who saw God would instantly realize God existed and immediately die. So, there has to be another way for God to communicate with us that He exists and He did.
God hides Himself for our safety. It is a loving and kind act. Otherwise, everyone would be dead. There are a number of passages in the Bible that tell us no one has seen God. 1 Timothy 6:16 and 1 John 4:12 are two of them. If you would like to see God, Matthew 5:8 tells us what is necessary in order to see Him.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8 (NASB)
We must be pure in heart in order to see God. That is the only way. Yes, God is hiding to protect you. But that does not mean He does not exist. So, if you would like to know how to have a pure in heart and one day see God, visit Searching For God at NeverThirsty.org.
Download:
Is It Possible That God Is Hiding? – pdf
References:
1. Yuri Gagarin, Wikipedia.org.
2. Ethan Siegel. The Most Distant Galaxy Ever Discovered By NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Forbes.com. Apr 20, 2020.
3. Ben Stein. Expelled. (DVD). Statements are made at the end of the DVD. Vivendi Entertainment. October 21, 2008.