Isai\u00adah says, \u00abYes, Lord, you are a God who hides Hims\u00adelf, you God and Saviour of Isra\u00adel.\u00bb We all expe\u00adri\u00adence the hid\u00adden\u00adness of God, often just when we need Him most. What is important to per\u00adse\u00adve\u00adre in such times and give a boost to our faith? In this respect, too, Jesus can beco\u00adme an exam\u00adp\u00adle for us.<\/p>\n
Last Sun\u00adday in the ser\u00admon, a woman from Hum\u00adli\u00adkon was quo\u00adted as say\u00ading the fol\u00adlo\u00adwing in the docu\u00admen\u00adta\u00adry film about the pla\u00adne crash in 1963: \u00abBefo\u00adre the depar\u00adtu\u00adre, the who\u00adle vil\u00adla\u00adge was in exci\u00adte\u00adment. The who\u00adle week and also the evening befo\u00adre depar\u00adtu\u00adre they had all pray\u00aded for a good flight and then \u2013 this cruel crash.\u00bb He con\u00adti\u00adnues, \u00abSin\u00adce that moment I have not pray\u00aded once.\u00bb Why does God hide when we need him most? C.S. Lewis also asked hims\u00adelf this ques\u00adti\u00adon after his wife died of bone can\u00adcer after a short mar\u00adria\u00adge: \u00abAnd whe\u00adre is God? That is one of the most dis\u00adtur\u00adbing sym\u00adptoms. When one is hap\u00adpy, so hap\u00adpy that one loses the fee\u00adling of nee\u00adding him, one is wel\u00adco\u00admed with open arms. At least that is how one feels. But if I go to him in despe\u00adra\u00adte need, when all other help fails, what do you find? A door slam\u00admed in your face, and from insi\u00adde the sound of dou\u00adble bolts. Then silence. You might as well lea\u00adve. The lon\u00adger you wait, the more insis\u00adtent the silence beco\u00admes.\u00bb This is said by a man who found his God in Jesus Christ and beca\u00adme one of the most famous apo\u00adlo\u00adgists of the 20th cen\u00adtu\u00adry. Per\u00adhaps you are one of tho\u00adse peo\u00adp\u00adle who say with Bert\u00adrand Rus\u00adsel, \u00abI don\u2019t belie\u00adve in God. He has given me no evidence.\u00bb \tWhen in your life have you most pain\u00adful\u00adly per\u00adcei\u00adved the hid\u00adden\u00adness of God? \t <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Isai\u00adah says, \u00abYes, Lord, you are a God who hides Hims\u00adelf, you God and Saviour of Isra\u00adel.\u00bb We all expe\u00adri\u00adence the hid\u00adden\u00adness of God, often just when we need Him most. What is important to per\u00adse\u00adve\u00adre in such times and give a boost to our faith? Also in this respect Jesus can\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[23],"wpfc_sermon_series":[72],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-matthias-altwegg","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-metamorphose","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-3576","4":"wpfc_sermon","5":"type-wpfc_sermon","6":"status-publish","7":"hentry","10":"wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"},"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nBehind the scenes
\nIsai\u00adah 45:15 (HFA<\/span>) says: \u00abYes, Lord, you are a God who keeps hims\u00adelf hid\u00adden, you God and Saviour of Isra\u00adel.\u00bb The state\u00adment that God is a hid\u00adden God runs deep\u00adly against the grain for me. I want to expe\u00adri\u00adence, grasp and see God! God can also be expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced. And yet He says of Hims\u00adelf that He is a God who keeps Hims\u00adelf hidden.
\nJob was real\u00adly over\u00adwhel\u00admed by strokes of fate: he lost his ten child\u00adren, his health and all his pos\u00adses\u00adsi\u00adons. In the midst of his suf\u00adfe\u00adring, sit\u00adting in the ashes and scrat\u00adching hims\u00adelf with a pots\u00adherd, he tri\u00ades to under\u00adstand God. But God remains silent. We all often feel some\u00adthing of the absence of God pre\u00adcis\u00ade\u00adly in suf\u00adfe\u00adring. Why does God not respond when we pray to Him?
\nJob has the impres\u00adsi\u00adon that God is far away or even meets him as an ene\u00admy. \u00abO God, tell me: whe\u00adre have I been guil\u00adty? What sins have I com\u00admit\u00adted? Whe\u00adre have I bro\u00adken faith with you? Why do you with\u00addraw from me and con\u00adsider me your ene\u00admy?\u00bb (Job 13:23f HFA<\/span>). \u00abIf only I knew whe\u00adre to find him and how to get to his thro\u00adne! I would sta\u00adte my case to him and give all the reasons that are in my favour! I would know what he would give me for an ans\u00adwer, and under\u00adstand what he would then say to me\u00bb (Job 23:3\u20135 HFA<\/span>). Job gives vent to his dis\u00adap\u00adpoint\u00adment. It pains him that, like a bird, he keeps fly\u00ading against a win\u00addow and inju\u00adring himself.
\nWhat Job had no know\u00adledge of, but we do, are the first two chap\u00adters of the Book of Job. The\u00adre Satan appears in hea\u00adven befo\u00adre God: \u00abJob is your favou\u00adri\u00adte. You have bles\u00adsed him rich\u00adly with ever\u00ady\u00adthing ima\u00adgi\u00adnable: Fami\u00adly, health and much pro\u00adper\u00adty. Take the\u00adse things from him and you will see that he renoun\u00adces you.\u00bb Satan is allo\u00adwed some lee\u00adway, but he is not allo\u00adwed to touch Job\u2019s life. Had Job known that this was actual\u00adly about a con\u00adfron\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon bet\u00adween God and Satan, the chief accu\u00adser, it would have been easier for him. Behind the curtain, God was the\u00adre all the time!
\nThis frame of thought is an important emer\u00adgen\u00adcy nail for us. Espe\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly when it is through inex\u00adpli\u00adca\u00adble depths, we need to keep Job 1+2 in mind. God some\u00adti\u00admes keeps hims\u00adelf hid\u00adden in our lives too, to give a boost to the qua\u00adli\u00adty of our faith, that we trust and belie\u00adve this God even when things are not going well for us. Job\u2019s fri\u00adends con\u00adcluded: \u00abGod is punis\u00adhing you. Whoe\u00adver this hap\u00adpens to must be a gre\u00adat sin\u00adner.\u00bb We learn: espe\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly when it comes to suf\u00adfe\u00adring from the hid\u00adden\u00adness of God, our con\u00adclu\u00adsi\u00adons are often not right. God is and remains the\u00adre, very clo\u00adse, just not visi\u00adble and tan\u00adgi\u00adble to us. \u00abYes, Lord, you are a God who is hid\u00adden, you God and Saviour of Isra\u00adel.\u00bb The hid\u00adden God is at the same time the Saviour. God saves through, espe\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly when we suf\u00adfer from his hiddenness.
\nWe must learn to look through the hori\u00adzon. David did this: \u00abMany say of me, He has no help with God. But you, LORD<\/span>, are the shield for me; you are my honour and lift up my head\u00bb (Psalm 3:3\u20134 LUT<\/span>). Jesus was also tra\u00advel\u00adling with this frame of mind: \u00abHe was rea\u00addy to die the death of shame on the cross becau\u00adse he knew what joy awai\u00adted him after\u00adwards. Now he sits at the right side of God\u2019s thro\u00adne in hea\u00adven!\u00bb (Hebrews 12:2 NLB<\/span>). Diet\u00adrich Bon\u00adhoef\u00adfer said short\u00adly befo\u00adre his exe\u00adcu\u00adti\u00adon: \u00abThis is the end. For me it is the begin\u00adning of life.\u00bb Bon\u00adhoef\u00adfer suf\u00adfe\u00adr\u00aded from the fact that God did not inter\u00adve\u00adne, at the same time he knew that it was the begin\u00adning of life.
\nGod\u2019s new ways
\nIn 597 BC<\/span>, Nebuch\u00adad\u00adnez\u00adzar stood befo\u00adre Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem. The 18-year-old King Jehoia\u00adkim sur\u00adren\u00adders the city to him wit\u00adhout a fight. The Temp\u00adle is rob\u00adbed and the ves\u00adsels trans\u00adpor\u00adted to Baby\u00adlon. A year and a half later Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem is des\u00adtroy\u00aded and the peo\u00adp\u00adle depor\u00adted. It is the end of the sta\u00adte of Isra\u00adel. A thought had taken root among the Israe\u00adli\u00adtes, told to them seve\u00adral times by the pro\u00adphe\u00adts: \u00abI am your God! Who else is such a strong God?\u00bb Yet Nebuch\u00adad\u00adnez\u00adzar is now buil\u00adding his world empire. Into this situa\u00adti\u00adon the\u00adre are pro\u00adphe\u00adts who say, \u00abThe haun\u00adting will soon be over. A litt\u00adle pati\u00adence, a litt\u00adle faith. Our strong God will get a grip on it again. The\u00adre have always been ups and downs among our peo\u00adp\u00adle\u00bb (cf. Jere\u00admi\u00adah 27:14\u201316). Jere\u00admi\u00adah, on the other hand, speaks of 70 years of cap\u00adti\u00advi\u00adty in Baby\u00adlon and that they should seek the best of the city (Jere\u00admi\u00adah 29:7).
\nThe vexa\u00adti\u00adon of this mes\u00adsa\u00adge lay in the fact that God does not demons\u00adtra\u00adte his power. A strong God choo\u00adses a path that was hither\u00adto unknown to God\u2019s peo\u00adp\u00adle: the path of weak\u00adne\u00adss. Why would God have such an ins\u00ada\u00adne idea to with\u00addraw his power and keep it hid\u00adden? It was the begin\u00adning of a sto\u00adry that has its cli\u00admax at the cross of Gol\u00adgo\u00adtha. The\u00adre God with\u00addraws his power com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly. He was so weak and so small that he dies. The pro\u00adphe\u00adts at that time had a clear theo\u00adlo\u00adgy of God\u2019s power and mira\u00adcles. But Jere\u00admi\u00adah says: \u00abNo, God goes new ways.\u00bb
\nGod often choo\u00adses a path of weak\u00adne\u00adss, and he expects us to do the same. To the suf\u00adfe\u00adring Paul he said: \u00abMy grace is all you need. My power is shown in your weak\u00adne\u00adss\u00bb (2 Corin\u00adthi\u00adans 12:9 NLB<\/span>). The life of a fol\u00adlower of Jesus is also often about loss, ren\u00adun\u00adcia\u00adti\u00adon and dying becau\u00adse it is deep\u00adly part of God\u2019s natu\u00adre. At the same time, he must know that God is a God with whom no pray\u00ader falls to earth, but is brought befo\u00adre God in bowls. But God does not ans\u00adwer every pray\u00ader as we expect.
\nAbout Paul and his team it says: \u00abThey streng\u00adthe\u00adned and encou\u00adra\u00adged the belie\u00advers to hold fast to the faith, explai\u00adning to them once again that we must all enter the king\u00addom of God through many tri\u00adbu\u00adla\u00adti\u00adons\u00bb (Acts 14:22 NLB<\/span>). Accor\u00adding to God\u2019s plan, a per\u00adson must go through many aff\u00adlic\u00adtions befo\u00adre ente\u00adring His king\u00addom. It is very hel\u00adpful to be gui\u00added by this truth, espe\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly in dif\u00adfi\u00adcult times. Do you ask yours\u00adelf if you want to get on God\u2019s side? Of cour\u00adse yes, but plea\u00adse don\u2019t do it becau\u00adse you have the impres\u00adsi\u00adon that Chris\u00adti\u00adans are bet\u00adter off in this world when it comes to care\u00ader or money or fami\u00adly or some other things. What could be bet\u00adter for a per\u00adson than to find in God his Saviour, his goal, his coun\u00adter\u00adpart. But plea\u00adse, not with the expec\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon that God will then bed your life on roses. Chris\u00adti\u00adans must learn to live for and trust in this God who some\u00adti\u00admes seems absent.
\nGod\u2019s plan of salvation
\nJesus also lived in the ten\u00adsi\u00adon bet\u00adween the hid\u00adden\u00adness and pre\u00adsence of God. On the way to Gol\u00adgo\u00adtha, Peter cuts off the ear of a Roman sol\u00addier named Malch\u00adus with his sword. Imme\u00addia\u00adte\u00adly Jesus com\u00admands Peter to shea\u00adthe the sword and then asks two ques\u00adti\u00adons, \u00abAm I not to drink from the cup the Father has given me?\u00bb (John 18:11 NLB<\/span>). And, \u00abDon\u2019t you know that I could ask my Father for thou\u00adsands of angels to pro\u00adtect us, and he would send them imme\u00addia\u00adte\u00adly?\u00bb (Matthew 26:53 NLB<\/span>). Jesus knew that his Father was the\u00adre and that an army of angels was just wai\u00adting for the com\u00admand. So he free\u00adly allows the hid\u00adden\u00adness of God. Jesus then heals the ear, only to be taken cap\u00adti\u00adve. Jesus refrains from powerful inter\u00adven\u00adti\u00adon. A few hours later, our Saviour is han\u00adging on the cross and the cri\u00admi\u00adnal at his side says: \u00abSo you are the Christ? Pro\u00adve it by saving yours\u00adelf \u2013 and us with you!\u00bb (Luke 23:39 NLB<\/span>). We want to see some\u00adthing, then we belie\u00adve. God has cho\u00adsen ano\u00adther qua\u00adli\u00adty of faith, which is: not see\u00ading, yet belie\u00adving. The crowd cried out, \u00ab[\u2026] Well, if you are the Son of God, save yours\u00adelf and come down from the cross!\u00bb (Matthew 27:40 NLB<\/span>). By this they said: If he comes down, we belie\u00adve it is the Son of God.
\nSome time later, the cry, \u00abMy God, my God, why have you for\u00adsa\u00adken me?\u00bb echo\u00ades across Gol\u00adgo\u00adtha. (Matthew 27:46 NLB<\/span>) echo\u00ades over Gol\u00adgo\u00adtha. This is para\u00addo\u00adxi\u00adcal: God beco\u00admes human and part of this world in Jesus. Peo\u00adp\u00adle could see him, touch him and hear him. God breaks through the hid\u00adden\u00adness in Jesus. On the other hand, Jesus is so for\u00adsa\u00adken by God that He cries it out. Jesus\u00bb aban\u00addon\u00adment has to do with the fact that He bore all our guilt and sin (= not trus\u00adting God). The hid\u00adden\u00adness of God has a con\u00adnec\u00adtion with sin and is a con\u00adces\u00adsi\u00adon to this earth time. Our guilt and sin crea\u00adte a sepa\u00adra\u00adti\u00adon bet\u00adween God and us. If we go through this time trus\u00adting in God, we will be over\u00adwhel\u00admed by the pre\u00adsence of God in eternity!
\nOur sal\u00adva\u00adti\u00adon in the hid\u00adden\u00adness of God comes in Jesus Christ, who was sepa\u00adra\u00adted from his God and Father. The ans\u00adwer to the why-ques\u00adti\u00adon \u00abMy God, my God, why have you for\u00adsa\u00adken me?\u00bb is: \u00abFor all of us!\u00bb So that you and I may never again have to suf\u00adfer this deepest hid\u00adden\u00adness of God! Jesus was for\u00adsa\u00adken so that we never have to be alo\u00adne again, so that we can expe\u00adri\u00adence God\u2019s pre\u00adsence. That is the Gospel.
\nThe future of tho\u00adse who hold on to Him in spi\u00adte of God\u2019s hid\u00adden\u00adness looks dif\u00adfe\u00adrent. They will one day come from faith to sight and know in one fell swoop: It was worth it a hundred times over!
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\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small groups
\nRead Bible text: Job 1+2<\/p>\n
\n\tWhat would you say to the woman from Humlikon?
\n\tTo what ext\u00adent can the sto\u00adry of Job give us a frame\u00adwork for thin\u00adking about such times?
\n\tWhy was Jesus aban\u00addo\u00adned by God on the cross? What does this have to do with us?<\/p>\n