Sabbath Blessings Chapter 2: Finding God in hiddenness and manifestation

Written on 17 Feb, in New Zealand.

I have finally arrived after an unexpected delay. My flight from Singapore left late, which meant I missed my connecting flight out of Sydney. So I arrived at Christchurch on a later flight and missed the bus I was supposed to take to Dunedin. That was the last bus for the day! So I called my uncle and my cousin managed to find me a place to stay with her friends in Christchurch. I am glad to be here finally after 2 days of traveling!

I only managed to send one update out of Taiwan. To sum up my experiences there, a quote from Graham Cooke's book "Prophetic Wisdom" is apt:

A key part of God's nature is the fact that He moves in two ways: hiddenness and manifestation. When we come to terms, we are set free spiritually to ebb and flow with what God is doing. There are times when God reveals Himself to us and times when He hides. He has reasons for doing both...

When God hides from us, He is trying to draw us into His presence. Manifestation takes place in our reality; hiddenness happens in His. Hiddenness draws us into a new place in the Spirit...

God is constantly with us, whether we realize it or not. Sometimes He jumps out at us because He cannot wait to show Himself to us, and at other times He hides, drawing us further into Him."

In Taiwan, God jumped out at me after a long season of hiddenness! He manifested Himself tangibly both in signs and wonders taking place around me, through me, and also within me. Best of all, He helped me to make sense of the long season of hiddenness I experienced in East Timor, and assured me that He used the long season of hiddenness to teach me the discipline of pursuing intimacy even when He is silent. For both seasons, I am deeply thankful.