It is the glory of God to conceal a matter;
    to search out a matter is the glory of kings. — Proverbs 25:2

We continue with devotional thoughts from the Book of Proverbs every Friday. One of the 11 books in the Torah known as the Ketuvim, Hebrew for “writings,” Proverbs is part of the “wisdom tradition,” which also includes Job and Ecclesiastes.

Do you remember playing hide-and-seek when you were a kid? I have to admit, even as an adult, I still love it! Although, I must also admit that as my children have gotten a little older, they aren’t so interested in playing hide-and-seek anymore.

I’ll never forget one time when I was a little girl, we were playing hide-and-seek, and I found the perfect hiding spot. I was so excited as I balled myself up and tried not to move or make a sound. I heard the voices and footsteps of the person who was “it” searching for everyone, then the voices of all the other players. Nobody could find me. I almost started giggling out loud. They kept searching and searching.

But then something awful happened that I’ll never forget. They gave up. They stopped looking for me and all the other kids just went off to eat popsicles.

God Wants Us to Search for Him

I was thinking about this story recently and couldn’t help but think that God also waits for us to find Him. As Proverbs teaches us, God conceals Himself from us so that we’ll go searching for Him. We read in Proverbs 25:2, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.”

God envelopes Himself in mystery. He conceals His plans. He keeps us guessing and searching. But why does God do this? Wouldn’t it be better if He just revealed Himself fully for all the world to see? Wouldn’t we be better off if He would do some amazing miracle like splitting the Red Sea again? Then nobody would have any doubts about God. Right?

The answer is that God wants us to search for Him. If He revealed Himself out in the open for all to see, we would not have the option of choosing Him. There would almost be no value in faith. God wants us to seek Him.

And when we search for God, we show Him that we care, that we want Him in our lives. Faith is not only seeing God; it’s also about never giving up trying to find Him.

Your turn: Where have you searched for God today? Look for Him in nature, in the people around you, in the blessings in your life.