One of my favorite lyrics in the song All Things Together says this:
“In my serving, when I’m hidden, will I trust the Father sees?” I really think one of the greatest dangers in our generation is that we don’t receive the gift of hiddenness in our life. Our culture screams at us that the way to be appreciated and valuable is to be seen and followed and cheered on.
While that can be a good thing, oftentimes in the life of Jesus’ followers there are moments, if not full seasons, where he invites us away to hidden places—to anonymous places—to be with him. I think Jesus does this for two reasons:
1. He usually wants to create a more intimate relationship with him in these seasons.
2. He wants to shape things into us spiritually that could not happen otherwise.
So if you and I despise seasons of hiddenness, or we look at them as seasons of failure because we’re not on a stage or gaining followers, we will completely miss out on receiving the gift of what God is trying to build into us.
So my encouragement to you is this: if you’re in a season of serving unseen, without a public platform, just remember that the Father sees you and is working in those moments. When we feel him pulling us away—out of the spotlight and into the hidden places—we should willingly go there with him. Instead of rushing ahead to get back on the stage or back into the public eye, we need to accept what God is doing and receive the gift of hiddenness. He wants to draw us closer to himself and work new things deep inside of who we are.