We know of the game “hide and seek.” Someone is designated “it” and all others go hide while whoever is “it” counts to a set number and then begins the search. When “it” discovers someone, the race is on to see who can reach “base” first and be safe. The fun of the game is not to hide so well that you can never be found, but to be discovered for the thrill of the race back to base.

The prophet Isaiah said of God Almighty, in Isaiah 45:15 “Truly you are a God who hides himself.”

The God of the Bible is called many different names, and each name signifies a facet of God’s character. The primary name Lord or Jehovah means, “The Self-Existent One.” The name Yahweh means to become known. When you combine the names, you have Jehovah Yahweh, which means, “The self-existent one who reveals himself.”

God in his nature wants to become known, but not to the casual seeker or the person who would challenge God by saying, “Show me yourself and I will believe!” Almighty God holds the position, “Believe in Me and I will show Myself to you.”

God said, through the prophet Jeremiah 29:13, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

The Old Testament character Job was looking for God in the midst of all his trials. Job said, in Job 23:3, “If only I knew where to find him.” Job continued, in verses 8-10, “…if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him. When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him. But he knows the way that I take.”

Job concluded that even though he could not find God to inquire of him, he was convinced that God knew where he (Job) was and what was going on. Job continued, in verse 10, “when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.”

Job did eventually come face to face with God, in a manner of speaking, as nobody can see God’s face and live (Exodus 33:20). Job said, in Job 42:5-6, “My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”

God is waiting for the diligent seeker, and the main tool of the diligent seeker is faith. We cannot begin with, “If there is a God . . .”; we must begin with, “God is! Therefore . . . .” Hebrews 11:6, declares, “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

God reveals himself in many ways, but the primary way is through the Holy Scriptures, the Bible. The search begins slowly and the words of the Bible may seem difficult to understand at first, but keep digging. The earnest seeker of God is always rewarded by the presence of God.

The prophet Isaiah adds urgency to our seeking of God by telling us, in Isaiah 55:6, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.” The Bible reveals that there is an end coming to life as we know it. We best be getting on with seeking God!

The Rev. Dan Puckett is a minister with Life Action Ministries.