Apophaticism in the Work and Ministry of Graham Cooke

"Hiddenness. God hides for a reason - so that He can develop you on the inside and train you to see with the eyes of faith. In manifestation, you can already see what God is doing. In hiddenness, you learn to look inward and recognize that God is still at work, relying purely on your faith."

      In the natural world, we pass through many seasons. The same is true in the spiritual realm. There are seasons in our lives where God is manifesting himself to us through blessing and feelings of His presence. This reminds me of spring where the birds begin to sing, flowers start to grow, and the trees begin to flourish with new leaves. There are also seasons in life when God seems to be hidden or far away. This reminds me of winter when everything seems to die, the days are shorter, and life seems to go into seclusion. From a spiritual perspective, a less mature believer in this season may feel he has done something wrong or that God is angry because he doesn't feel His presence. But for those who have learned to walk with God, there is a realization that though God may appear absent, He has not forsaken them. He is always there. He just is hidden.

Most of us don't fully appreciate these times when God seems absent. We don't fully grasp the true blessedness of this time. We always want God to manifest Himself to us. We want to experience God. We want to feel good. We don't like walking by faith instead of by sight. If we don't understand these times, we may miss out on all that God wants to do internally. This is God's training ground. Understand that this is the time when God wants to teach you wisdom in the inmost place. He is right now raising up strong and consistent intercessors who know how to pray whether He appears absent or present. They will not be shaken or faithless when He is hidden from their sight. They will know in their spirit that He is always there. They will take advantage of these times to grasp hold of wisdom in the inmost place. They will submit their will to God in this season. They know that in times of hiddenness they are able to process deep truth.

"Real wisdom is hidden from us until God reveals it to us. He often chooses to do that in the place of hiddenness. Hiddenness is God's training ground. In hiddenness God is teaching us the wisdom of how to walk with Him, how to know Him, how to understand Him and how to live a life of reverent fear."

The Benefits of Experiencing the Hiddenness of God

"Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place." (Psalm 51:6)

      We receive so many benefits during the times when we experience the hiddenness of God. We must look at these times as extremely valuable when we go deeper with God and receive treasures in the secret place. God has a goldmine of blessing if we handle this time in the right way. The following are some of these benefits:

• Hiddenness is a time for building - God is building internally in your life. There are times of manifestation when you feel the joy and presence of God, but hiddenness is when God is doing internal work in your life.
  
  
• Hiddenness teaches you God's wisdom - God wants to reveal wisdom to you. He wants to have you all to Himself, and He will tell you many secret words of wisdom if you learn to listen.
  
  
• Hiddenness develops your inner man - God is building you into a man or woman of the spirit. During this time, you learn to live in the spirit and not in the soul. You learn to submit your soul to your spirit.
  
  
• Hiddenness teaches you to live inwardly - God is teaching you consistency inwardly. You learn to turn inward to find out what God is like. He reveals His love and character in the inward place.
  
  
• Hiddenness reveals deep truth - God uncovers wrong perspectives and ways of living. You learn about His ways. He answers your questions and gives you new insight.
  
  
• Hiddenness teaches you to live above the enemy's attacks - You can learn to live far above the enemy's ability to destroy or defeat you. You learn to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:2).
  
  
• Hiddenness changes you radically - God changes your heart towards Him and towards people. God transforms your life through seasons of hiddenness.

      If you are experiencing the hiddenness of God, understand that He is developing you on the inside. This is a special time in your life. Do not run from it. Let God have His way. Take time to wait in contemplative silence before Him. Learn to flow with Him during this season of your life. You need not be shaken or become sad during times when God seems absent. You just need to understand the ways of God. He is working deeply within you. God is stripping away the externals in your life and building deep, spiritual consistency within you. He is teaching you to walk by faith, depending on your understanding of His nature alone. He is always faithful and good.

In my Christian life, several times I have experienced the hiddenness of God. I am learning to rejoice in these seasons because I long for God to reveal deep truth to me in the hidden place. This time is good if we understand what God is doing and if we realize the many benefits God wants to impart to us. In due season, God will again bring us into the place of manifestation where we feel and experience His presence in a fuller dimension. The prayer below is important because it helps us to pray for wisdom and faith during seasons of hiddenness.

A Prayer for Wisdom and Faith

"Father, I thank you that I am the apple of your eye.
I know that you seek to hide me in the secret place of Your presence.
Teach me how to abide in You, to dwell and remain in Christ,
Hidden away in Your heart, safe from the hands of the enemy.
Help me to understand the wisdom of hiddenness,
To perceive the revelation of Your presence by wisdom and faith.
When my soul cries out for Your manifest presence,
May it hear the soothing words of the inner man of the Spirit,
Saying, peace! Be at rest. God is here.
Raise up my inner man so that my soul capitulate to childlike trust, not emotion.
Teach me to see You by faith,
So that the reality of your continuous presence remains with me at all times.
In Jesus' name. Amen."

"When we become comfortable with the ways of God in hiddenness, we will find ourselves going farther in the realm of the Spirit than ever before. We'll go farther than we ever thought possible in our present circumstances, because He'll take us to a place of deeper revelation, and we will experience a bigger breakthrough."

Quotes and prayer by Graham Cooke For additional training on the intercessor and hiddenness; the discipline of hiddenness and secret prayer, read the book called Intercessors Arise - Book 3 by Debbie Przybylski.