This post was originally published on in April, 2025 and updated on November 22,2025.
Howdy, I trust all is well with you as you sit here on death row with the rest of us.
Someone recently asked me why an all-loving and all-powerful God would hide and allow for so many folks to doubt His existence.
The so called ‘hiddenness of God’, which has been debated in philosophical/theological discussions for a long time, raises the question of why God doesn’t just make His presence undeniably clear to everyone.
Do we ask why the clockmaker doesn’t show himself every time we look at a big, beautiful grandfather clock? Nope. Because the clock is proof of the clockmaker.
God isn’t hidden, you can see Him everywhere you look.
Psalm 19:1-2 – The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. (KJV)
How can any intelligent person look at the creation and not see the Creator? So, no, God is not hidden – people who claim He is are in denial.
Romans 1:19-21 – Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Not only has God revealed Himself through the Book of Creation, He has also shown Himself perfectly through the written Word of God, the Bible, and in complete fullness by the Word made flesh, Jeshua our Messiah, the only begotten son of God.
Even so, I understand the argument: Why doesn’t God just do a bunch of magic tricks for everyone all the time so that they will see Him and love Him?
Well, part of the answer to that question is imbedded in the question itself. See if you can figure it out before our next little chat when we’ll dig a little deeper into the hiddenness of God.
To monitor current news and events related to faith and culture.
To provide an alternative viewpoint to the world’s pervasive climate of darkness, nihilism, and hopelessness for those seeking truth, light, and purpose.
To examine and question the assumptions of religious tradition and provide a resource for information and inspiration for people of faith who have become dissatisfied with an increasingly lifeless and empty ‘churchianity’.
To present the Biblical truths which reveal God’s nature and purposes and proclaim the lifechanging, world-altering, radical message of Yeshua the Messiah – Jesus Christ, our risen Lord and Savior.
At Bible Rebel, this is our one and only creed: Our living God is a loving God and the Bible is His revealed word and will. Our hope and eternal salvation relies entirely on the work of God’s only begotten son, Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life.
So, expect some controversial viewpoints and uncomfortable ideas in some of the coming content from Bible Rebel.
Coming in November and December
More in our “Your Life and What Comes After” series.
More in-depth content on deeper biblical studies and theological issues.
We’ll also be continuing our regular features, guest articles, and series:
Biblical Literacy: What the Bible does and doesn’t say
They Said It: Poignant quotes on a variety of topics
Guest articles
And more…
Watchdogs
As always, we’ll be keeping a watchdogs eye on all of the latest political, religious, biblical archaeology, and cultural news and events from around the world and bringing to you in bite-size chunks to keep you informed.
Often, looking at the stars, contemplating how many I can’t see in the middle of town with street lights all around, I think about God’s promise to Abraham that his seed would be as numerous as the stars. If you’ve ever been out in the desert at night, away from population, if you’ve ever been up in the mountains in a place like Montana, the enormity, the immensity, the sheer number of stars is wondrous. You can’t really imagine it unless you’ve seen it. So many stars stretching through the Milky Way alone that it looks like a sheet of soft light spread across the sky. Spilled milk. The Way of Milk.
Yet the Apostle Paul notes that the promises of God to Abraham were to his seed – not as of many seeds, but as of ONE seed, who is the Lord Jesus, the Christ.
Galatians 3:16 KJV Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, and to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
So how are we included in God’s promise to Abraham? As many as believe on Christ, The Seed, are welcomed under the umbrella of Abraham’s seed by faith and we represent that vision of stars stretching through the Milky Way and beyond.
Galatians 2:7 KJV Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
In this Biblical account of the exchange between God and Abraham, God gets Abraham to look up, and in effect, to get a greater vision for his life and purpose. Many success-oriented coaches teach that if we want to be truly successful in life, we need to get our vision up.
One of the great phrases I heard years ago from such coaches (probably Jim Rohn) was to set a goal so big it scares you. The reason? You have to grow up into the goal to achieve it.
So there I am this week, reading through these excerpts in the Bible, pondering the beauty of being part of the family of Christ, welcomed in as Abraham’s seed through Christ, and I was inspired to read Psalm 2.
Psalm 2:7-8 KJV (7) I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. (8) Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
It came to me, that as the seed of Christ through faith, God is asking us to get our vision up. The Body of Christ, the body of believers, can ask the Father to give us the heathen (the yet unsaved) as part of the inheritance of Jesus Christ, in whose inheritance we share.
Romans 8:16-17a KJV (16) The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: (17a) And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ;
God the Father is declaring that we can ask to possess the uttermost parts of the earth for Him by declaring the witness of Christ. Not a material possession, but a spiritual realm. That what Christ began and then commissioned disciples to continue, equipped with the Gift of Holy Spirit and all its manifestations, as well as the written Word, was prophesied in Psalm 2 not just for the Messiah, but for his seed. And if we can grab the vision and see the goal, what we will become in the process of trying to achieve it? Why, we will grow up into Christ, we will mature as members of his body.
You reading this must think me dull-witted! How could I have not seen this so clearly before? God is so lovely to break things down for me in the most simple terms. What is required here to get my vision up is to see the vision God already gave.
“Make sure to seek God’s presence more than His power…”, someone recently said.
I’m a bit befuddled. How do I separate The Creator from His power? He who is almighty, whose power spoke light and the earth into being, who infused man with His spirit, who BY HIS POWER raised our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, ummmmm WHAT??
It seems silly and futile and a waste of time to entertain such notions that don’t appear in any scripture. Just logically thinking, the power of God in the love of God saved me from a life of darkness and misery. Without His power, what is He?
He would be just one of the many gods, indistinguishable from the gods of the Greeks and Romans. It would in fact be foolish to worship such a god.
When the Prophet Elijah said choose ye this day whom ye worship, and fire rained from heaven on his sacrifice and not on that of Baal, was not the presence of God power?
When Moses was on the mount, when the pillar of fire went before the children of Israel, when the sea parted, was not the presence of God power and did not the people worship?
I seek the presence of my God who is powerful, who raised Christ from the dead and whose Kingdom on earth is yet to come. Whose Son will return in Power and glory and righteousness. And I seek His son, who reflects the Father and who has the power to forgive my sins and heal me.
So when I seek God’s presence, I don’t worry about whether I’m splitting hairs between His presence and His character. How can I be in His presence and not be changed by His Power? Ultimately we seek the Father because He has the power to change us. His presence is perfect Love, who gave His only begotten son and raised him to be the first fruits of those that believe, and that, my friends, is power
David killed Goliath. End of immediate story, right? We know David went on to become king of Israel (years later), but until recently mulling over this story, I overlooked the immediate end of the story of David and Goliath. It did not end with David and Goliath.
In fact, the beheading of Goliath was just the beginning of that story. Not only did David “get after it” by killing Goliath, the entire army of Israel had to then “get after it” by rallying to the battle and fighting the Philistines until the victory was won and the spoils of war were retrieved.
What if the army had failed to rally? Obviously the giant would have been dead but the battle would not have been won.
I don’t need to give the explanation of this lesson as a type for us. It’s enough to state the facts and allow ourselves to ponder the implications.
One final thought: King Saul offered David his armor and sword, which David refused because he had not “proved it”. The covering of men, even the king, was not going to win this fight. It was the covering of God’s goodness and grace upon David that he relied on, the strong arm of the Lord his God, rather than that of men.
What have I been learning about David and Goliath? New things coming to light: I recently read the article by Dan Kent entitled “Why Did David Pick Up 5 Stones?”. It was enlightening. David wasn’t a soft, wimpy youth who just sat around playing a harp while watching sheep.
My takeaway on this article is this. David did watch sheep, he did play an instrument and at the same time he trained himself to fight. Maybe because three of his oldest brothers were soldiers in Saul’s army, David must have had a vision for himself as a strong warrior. Apparently he did something about that vision, because he clearly let others know that while watching his father’s sheep, he had occasion to kill a lion, which had taken a lamb, by grabbing its beard and slaying it.
What weapon did he use to slay this lion? The story doesn’t say. David also killed a bear in similar circumstances. He credits the Lord for delivering him from the lion and the bear, and in truth the Lord did. And also, David was fearless. He was adept at using whatever weapon he had. He was strong physically, not some soft, untrained teenager. When he went after the lion and the bear, he was confident that he had the ability to win the battle. He knew HOW to do it! He was prepared with his weaponry when it happened. And he trusted God to back him up.
God promoted David for being diligent to train, fight his battles while watching sheep, and having the courage to get after it. David didn’t stop and pray for an hour to ask God’s direction and favor before he went after the lion or the bear which had grabbed a lamb. The circumstances demanded immediate action, and he acted.
His preparation no doubt came daily in fellowship with the Father, in practicing using his weapons, in learning from his brothers how to fight whenever he could, in keeping himself strong. You’ve no doubt heard the old saying, “the devil is in the details”. Let’s turn that upside down with “God is in the details”.
I appreciate Kent’s article on this familiar Biblical story. Kent makes the story bigger than what it’s been for me and clearer than what it was. David was strong, equipped, trained, fearless, and he trusted God to have his back. He did not hesitate to “get after it” when circumstances required. He was ready for the battle because he prepared himself daily.
What does this mean for us? If we are believers on Jesus the Christ, our daily relationship with the Father, whom we have gained access to through our Savior, as well as a basic understanding of scriptures, is our foundation. We are equipped with nine manifestations of the gift of Holy Spirit designed specifically by God to help us fight the good fight of faith and work God’s work in this world. We are also given authority in Christ to use it.
Now this doesn’t mean we are to go out and herd sheep and fight lions and bears and a Philistine giant. The picture of young David given to us carries over as a type of the spiritual. There are plenty of situations in life where we face obstacles that seem as large to us as the ones David faced.
The instruction of Ephesians 6, verses 10-18 is clear:
(KJV) Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
We are to prepare and train ourselves to face these obstacles by putting on the good news of the Gospel of Truth. We are to understand and exercise our authority and spiritual power through what the risen Lord accomplished for us, and we are to pray. We are to be ready and fearless, knowing God has our back. We are to “get after it” as circumstances require. The shield of faith belongs to us as we Take it. And we won’t hesitate to take it, like young David, when we are prepared.
Editors note: the guest article appearing here does not necessarily reflect the views of Bible Rebel editors or other guest authors and contributors. Bible Rebel seeks to present a wide range of ideas and viewpoints in order to fulfill our mission to provide resources for “Curious Fearless Faith”.This is Part 4, the final part, in a new series on prayer called ‘Greater Works Than These’ by Steve Sann.
Over the years, as we reflect on the greatest principles to attribute our successes in life, our gratitude should go out to a strong faith in God, and unabashed prayer in the spirit. Hands down, developing the discipline of prayer in the spirit will be one of the most rewarding crafts we’ve mastered.
Much of life is about timing. It is about where we are, who we meet, and if we are prepared to embrace the opportunities that avail themselves—at that very point in time. Most of us have skills enabling us to walk through doors of opportunity— we just need those doors to open. Prayer in the spirit is that door opener. It corrects your timing errors. It synchronizes the gears in the machinery of your life. Then you too, like others of us, can say: “all things are working together for good.” (Romans 8:28). Sure, there are several principles fundamental to success—but this is one you really do not want to miss.
In closing, I encourage you to identify reminders that will help you to “S.I.T.” much. Find what works for you: posters, notes, watch alarms, etc. Sometimes the crazier, the more memorable! Associate routines, places, colors, even people! Have fun with it, and it will reward you.
Practice speaking out loud to expand your fluency, and then do it for a minimum duration every day. Then, learn to speak silently in your mind for extended periods. Enjoy the discipline: you will be proud of yourself when you see the rewards flowing into your life!
I just read a great blog article by Dan Kent from a couple of years ago titled ‘Why Did David Pick Up 5 Stones?’. Good stuff, highly recommended reading, which you can find here.
Kent’s piece is a good meditation on faith and faithfulness as well as a thoughtful discussion on how God does and does not act and respond to His people in this age and broken world.
The last two sentences in the article really hit home for me:
“Don’t stand around waiting for God to act, or for God to win your battles for you: don’t stand around watching for what God might do: rather, show God what you can do. Gain wisdom, gather knowledge, develop skills, give the Lord something to use as he rumbles through the earth unfolding his glorious will.” Dan Kent – thatdankent.com
If you’re wondering what your own individual purpose in life might be and what it is that you should be doing day by day, it’s hard to find a better, more succinct admonition than, “…give the Lord something to use as he rumbles through the earth unfolding his glorious will.“
As I pointed out in a previous post in this ‘Your Life And What Comes After’ series, God created man not only to reflect His image and add value to His creation, but we are to work together with Him to do so.
We are helping the Creator bring about His grand plan for His creation. That is our purpose. Look for your own individual purpose there and you will be delighted and amazed at what you find.
Editors note: the guest article appearing here does not necessarily reflect the views of Bible Rebel editors or other guest authors and contributors. Bible Rebel seeks to present a wide range of ideas and viewpoints in order to fulfill our mission to provide resources for “Curious Fearless Faith”.This is Part 3 in a new series on prayer called ‘Greater Works Than These’ by Steve Sann.
Ephesians expands on the greater works that we are now enabled to do, according to this new power that works in us:
Ephesians 3:20, 21a: Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, Unto Him be glory in the church…
God is able to empower us in great works: works that exceed above all that any of us could possibly conceive. But, it is according to the power that we must work within us. The theme of Ephesians 3:20 is this: “God’s limitless ability is released according to the measure we operate His power in us.” It is you—your release of the power of the holy spirit within you that determines the amount of God’s working in your life. He is able. He is willing. If you are willing to learn to walk by the spirit, you enable Him to respond exceedingly abundantly.
The other morning as I awoke, I had a “dream” regarding one of the young men who frequents our fellowships. In the picture, his girlfriend was weeping, saying that he had disappeared with no notice at all, and no one had any information. Opening my eyes, I knew this was of God.
Upon arising, I contacted my friend and invited him over. His response? “Crazy, I was just thinkin’ about ya, man!” The spirit of God was working in both of us simultaneously, by my believing. By expecting the spirit of God to work, I was available to God. If we do not anticipate hearing from the spirit of God, then we limit our revelation, and it will not be a daily part of our lives.
He is limited only “according to the power that works in us.” What is this power that works within us? It is the power of the holy spirit, (Acts 1:8a). How, then, can we manifest the holy spirit’s power into the senses realm? I Corinthians 12:6ff lists the nine operations by which the power of the holy spirit may be brought forth through the believer. There are nine and nine only—no more, and no less. Of the nine, speaking in tongues is the most fundamental, foundational manifestation, and usually the first one with which a new believer becomes skilled.
Ephesians 3:20 illustrates that as we operate the spirit, by tongues or the other manifestations, God’s ability is released into this world. But look at just how much: not merely all the things we ask, but above all that we can even think! Of course, it is above all that we can think, because SIT supersedes our thinking.
But wait, there’s more: “abundantly above”—in fact—“exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think!” Tongues opens doors to unclaimed, uncharted wealth!
To monitor current news and events related to faith and culture.
To provide an alternative viewpoint to the world’s pervasive climate of darkness, nihilism, and hopelessness for those seeking truth, light, and purpose.
To examine and question the assumptions of religious tradition and provide a resource for information and inspiration for people of faith who have become dissatisfied with an increasingly lifeless and empty ‘churchianity’.
To present the Biblical truths which reveal God’s nature and purposes and proclaim the lifechanging, world-altering, radical message of Yeshua the Messiah – Jesus Christ, our risen Lord and Savior.
At Bible Rebel, this is our one and only creed: Our living God is a loving God and the Bible is His revealed word and will. Our hope and eternal salvation relies entirely on the work of God’s only begotten son, Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life.
So, expect some controversial viewpoints and uncomfortable ideas in some of the coming content from Bible Rebel.
Coming in October/November
More in our “Your Life and What Comes After” series.
More in-depth content on deeper biblical studies and theological issues.
We’ll also be continuing our regular features, guest articles, and series:
Biblical Literacy: What the Bible does and doesn’t say
They Said It: Poignant quotes on a variety of topics
Guest articles
And more…
Watchdogs
As always, we’ll be keeping a watchdogs eye on all of the latest political, religious, biblical archaeology, and cultural news and events from around the world and bringing to you in bite-size chunks to keep you informed.
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