I want to share an encounter I had at a…

I want to share an encounter I had at a local Starbucks where I read my Bible & journal in it. I was asked this question by someone.
“Why is God so hidden? If God wants everyone to believe in Him & that He exists than why doesn’t He just show Himself to the world? He should give us more evidence.”

I replied “it is true thank God it does hide himself as it is written in Isaiah 45:15, but also has revealed himself through his creation as written in Psalms 19 and Romans 1. The evidence is actually so overwhelming that no further evidence is needed, & it would take an unreasonable person to turn their backs on that evidence. There’s no lack of evidence at all, but People’s hearts are just too closed up to allow themselves to see that evidence, and from what I am seeing that is how you are.”

They said “well, if God would just show himself to me then I would believe in him”

I replied “ would you really? After all if you read about Balaam in the book of numbers, about the demons who were cast out of heaven, Solomon who God appeared to twice, and Hin coming down showing himself to the religious leaders in Jesus Christ, & all of them still rebelled. There is no lack in evidence, only lack of openness in your heart to the facts as said in Jeremiah 17:9 that the heart is deceitful above all things & desperately wicked” so how can you trust it? So my question to you is that, how do you know if you won’t be hard against him showing himself to you then you’ll demand another sign & then another? You don’t. After all, Jesus nailed it when He said that “men love darkness rather light & love to curse the light” even in the face of obvious evidence”.

They asked “so where is He when all these disasters happen by nature & people? He seem so absent.”

I answered “as written in Romans 1 that people have seen it fit to throw God out & discard His ways & stick to their own; consequently, He gave mankind up to their own devices, & now we the results of that far too clearly. And as we can see plainly that people are just too numb to those consequences, which does include natural disasters. This is all the result of living in this sinful fallen world. That’s why He seems so absent because people just don’t want Him regardless, so what else is left for God to do but to leave us alone?”

They said “well, even when I did pray for God to show Himself to me so that I would believe, there was nothing”

I replied “I believe I know what the problem is there.”

They asked “what is it?”

I answered “false expectations, just like the disciples who were on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24. They were disappointed because their false expectations weren’t met. If you have your own expectations on how God ought to do things, you’ll always end up in disappointment.”

They asked “what should I do then?”

I answered “be a Truth seeker not a happiness seeker. Truth seekers don’t have their own expectations that God has to meet, & seek Him for who He really is, & desire His ways more than your own, then he’ll reveal Himself to you as He sees fit & He won’t seem so hidden after all.”

They replied “thank you”
We prayed together & then parted