Why God Conceals Truth

Scripture: For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us. Acts 16:28

Observation: A group of believers met to pray and talk about what to do with non-Jewish converts to Christianity. They come to a decision, one that the Holy Spirit communicated to them as a group.

Application: Over the last ten years God has been teaching me how He wants to speak to me through groups. From sermon collaboration to leadership communities and now lately to me through doing devotions with others. This is a contrast from the “get alone and hear from God” approach. While there is a place for that, there is also the truth that God might deliberately conceal truths for me so that I am forced to depend on others to find them out. (This last truth came from a conversation with my friend Randy yesterday—another example of what I am talking about.) Proverbs 25:2: “It is the glory of God to conceal things but the glory of kings is to search things out.” In other words, there might be things the Holy Spirit will say to me only as I listen to Him through others.

Prayer: God, continue moving me down the path of collaborative hearing. Of learning to listen to you through others. You long to speak to your people. Let it be my glory to search it out. Amen