When God Hides Himself

READ: John 7:1-11

Introduction:

If you have siblings, or more than one child, I’m sure you understand sibling conflict. Where one doesn’t always agree with the other.

My sister and I had a conflict on one occasion —my mother had her fill and made it clear that she was to hear no further arguing or bickering.

It was some years later Mom was going through some things and found a derrogatory name scribbled clearly in my sisters handwriting in a book at the house. She asked her about it and was told that because she couldn’t say it out loud - she dared not call me it in any way Mom would hear about it— so she wrote it in a book.

It seems that even Jesus had his fair share of trouble with brothers. Our passage begins with a heated discussion between them. They obviously didn’t believe that Jesus was who he claimed to be, and made that clear. They wanted Jesus to go up to the feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem and show off all the miracles he was doing in Galilee.

Notice their sarcastic advice in

Jesus said, you all go on ahead - but I’m not going up yet.

but then Jesus goes up as it were in secret.

The people sought him, they were looking for him, but he wasn’t anywhere to be found.

That’s what I would like to talk to you about this morning - When God dissapears - when He goes incognito - when it seems as though he is going in secret.

Have ever felt like that? You were searching for HIm, but it seemed He couldn’t be found.

It was:

God incognito

God concealed

You were asking God, Where are you?

Mary and Martha understand this place - Lazarath, sick at the point of death, and still Jesus doesn’t come.

GOd where are you? I don’t see you, I don’t feel you, so much wrong, so much at stake -

When GOd hides himself - you can be sure of three very important things:

The first is something that Mary and Martha as well as you and I often forget...

FIRST: God doesn’t have to be seen to STILL be present!

You May not see Him - But He is STILL there.

Incognito - doesn’t mean He is not present!!!

Sometimes we may feel abandoned - but don’t ever think you are forsaken -

…for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

I know it’s perhaps been overused but I still love the classic poem by Mary Stevenson:

Footprints in the Sand

 One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.

Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.

Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,

other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed

that during the low periods of my life,

when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat,

I could see only one set of footprints.

 So I said to the Lord,

"You promised me Lord,

that if I followed you,

you would walk with me always.

But I have noticed that during

the most trying periods of my life

there have only been one

set of footprints in the sand.                                            

Why, when I needed you most,

you have not been there for me?"

The Lord replied,

"The times when you have

seen only one set of footprints,

 is when I carried you."                                                    

Mary Stevenson

Not only is it true that GOd doesn’t have to be seen in order to be present I would also like to point out...

SECOND: God doesn’t have to be seen, felt, or heard to still be working.

Perhaps your situation isn’t sickness, maybe it’s loss, or tough decisions, or depression, feelings of abandonnet, whatever your current situation

Remember this great truth--

God incognito - does not mean God incapacitated

Job complained about a place and time when God was incognito:

8 Behold, I go forward, but he is not there;

And backward, but I cannot perceive him:

9 On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him:

He hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him:

But I’m Glad Job doesn’t leave us hanging there - He continues...

10 But he knoweth the way that I take:

When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

He is getting ready to show up in a powerful way -

It was a time marked by heavy oppression, darkness, a time when an old man was seeking and praying for God to show himself.

It was a time marked by silence from the heavens - for over 400 years there was no recorded prophetic utterance from a man of God, a time of silence, but an aged woman was seeking God, was searching for Him. Where is He? Where is the one to come? Where is the Deliverer? Where is the Day-spring form on High promise to come?

It was then that God disguised if you will, Himself in human flesh - God went incognito -

Ben Withereington put it to verse like this:

He came in incognito,

A thinly veiled disguise

The not so subtle son of man,

A human with God’s eyes.

We must always remember that when you can’t see God - that doesn’t mean he isn’t present. Just because you can’t feel God that doesn’t mean He isn’t working - But we also need to remember...

…for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

THIRD: When God Goes incognito - YOU CAN BE SURE HE’S GETTING READY TO SHOW UP IN A POWERFUL WAY!!!

The story was told to Bro. Basil Miller who put it in his book “Remarkabel Answers to Prayer”

A missionary in Northwest China told of a time when their area was in a terrible famine. They had to tell the natives they had no food left. SO they all agreed to come and pray every afternoon.

They prayed the first day and it seemed nothing happened.

They prayed the second day and left just as much in a famine as the first day

The third day they met again and again nothing happened.

By this time they were getting pretty desperate. We would be too. They were probably wondereing, “Where is God? Why isn’t he here.”

But on the fourth day a dark cloud came in from the north and it began to rain heavily.

The interesting thing was - it wasn’t actually rain - it was little black seed - so many little black seeds they were able to be shoveled up and there was enought they were able to feed the people until the harvest.

Later they learned that in Mongolia - many miles away they had a storm that demolished the grain storage facility and carrying the grain all the way to this famine stricken location. fifteen hundred miles away. Where God seemed to be in secret - where God seemed to be incognito - people were calling out - Where are you?

God showed up and says, I’m still here!!! I’m still working!!!

God incognito does not mean God’s resignation

Thats What Mary and Martha and we sometimes forget God doesn’t have to be seen, felt, or heard to be working.

Footprints in the Sand

 One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.

Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.

Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,

other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed

Lazaras was sick, died, and put in his grave - when God showed up

that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat,

I could see only one set of footprints.

 So I said to the Lord,

"You promised me Lord,

that if I followed you,

you would walk with me always.

But I have noticed that during

the most trying periods of my life

Job lost all he had, sick and hurting, felt like he was abandoned by GOd - but then God showed up!!!

there have only been one

How about you - are you facing a dark time?

set of footprints in the sand.                                            Why, when I needed you most,

you have not been there for me?"

Does it seem that God is no where to be found?

The Lord replied,

Are you desperatly feeling in front and behind - all around and just silence from heaven?

"The times when you have

seen only one set of footprints,

I want to encourage you to hold on to your faith - God has not left, abandoned, forsaken you, God has not quit working, God will SHOW HIMSELF in a powerful way.

 is when I carried you."                                                    Mary Stevenson

One of my favorite examples of this is the story of the two disciples as they were leaving Jerusalem after the crucifixion - all hope was gone- they were confused, discouraged - feeling abandoned, lost, hopeless,

Thinking they had left their everything locked in a tomb back in the city - little did they know that above all the darkness - gloom, confusion, abandoned feelings - God the Father spoke however he Speaks to the Son and said, “Son there are a couple of men on their way to Emmaus who need to see you, they are in a dark lonely place”

In their darkest time - God still had his eye on them, GOd even though in a tomb, was not out of comission, God was able to come through and show himself in a powerful way. They bowed their heads at the dinner table and suddenly their eyes were opeend. Like flipping on a lightswicht all of their darkenss fled from the Light of HIM - HE CAME - HE SHOWED HIIMSELF IN A POWERFUL WAY -

There have been times - when God didn’t seem to be working, helping, listening, to me at all.

Notes at

Remember - He may be incognito - He may be as it were in secret - but...

1. He is still present

2. He is still working

3. He will show up!!!