There are instances where He conceals His presence. This divergence in communication becomes apparent during our trials. Some of us have not yet encountered His abundant favor to the extent that we remain oblivious to His concealment. Instead, we find ourselves disheartened and navigating through the aridity of feeling distant from Him. Our yearning for Him becomes fixed on seeking His favor through the manifestation of unwavering assurance. We long for Him to speak salvation into our lives, assuring us that through His redemptive power, we are no longer burdened by feelings of despair. We yearn to have the certainty that joy will arrive with the morning light, eagerly awaiting its arrival. Our desire is to experience His favor in such a way that we are liberated from the weight of our transgressions.We desire for Him to show us mercy through the experience of His grace, coming to our aid when we have caused much pain. We want to acknowledge His constant love that has always been there for us, knowing that He will provide salvation in times of trouble. Our ultimate goal is to live in the presence of His divine light, emanating from His heavenly throne, so that we may witness the supernatural power of His presence. However, these aspirations seem distant when He challenges us by concealing His face. We become susceptible to the threats of the wicked and face the judgment of the self-righteous. We are left feeling lost, desperately pleading for His favor to return. At times, it feels as though we cannot endure any longer.We find ourselves disheartened and uncertain of which path to take. In our fear, we become excessively fixated on obedience, believing that we must do something to regain the favor we once had from Him. We mistakenly believe that the assurance of our faith is solely dependent on our outward acts of obedience. To comfort ourselves, we conform outwardly, recognizing that something is amiss as our love for our initial devotion wanes. Our concern for our salvation intensifies beyond what we have ever experienced before. We are urged to condemn ourselves by wrongly applying the law to our consciences. We mistakenly attribute our lack of joy to God, blaming Him for our predicament. Unfortunately, we find ourselves spiraling further downward as a result of this situation.We must recognize that God, despite His hidden presence, is working for our benefit. True faith is not demonstrated through outward conformity, but rather through the belief that God intentionally conceals Himself in order to foster our faith and reliance on Him. It is having faith even when we do not constantly feel His favor. Faith is akin to traversing a desert, understanding that God communicates with us through our lack and weakness. It is believing that God utilizes our limited trust to showcase His power and glory, even when we struggle to fully trust Him. Faith entails trusting that in this context, God will eventually reward us for enduring these challenging times by indirectly providing the resources we need. When God seems distant, we should view it as a test rather than assuming He has abandoned us. We are incredibly desperate for Him, crying out to Him in our poverty, and patiently waiting for His intervention.