Psa 102:2 Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily.

Psalm 102 is a prayer of a poor, destitute, and afflicted one. The psalmist humbly begs of God to take notice of his affliction, and of his prayer in his affliction: “Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily” (v.2).

Hide not thy face from me – When you do not want to see a certain person, what do you do? Well, you hide when you see him coming towards you. There are many reasons to it. Perhaps, he is irritable, a nuisance, arrogant, or despicable, or he is just not your kind.

When God hides His face at any time from His people, it is a trouble to them, and very grievous. It implies He doesn’t like them and they are simply irritating. So, He goes into hiding. The trouble is not with God, but with them; it includes us too. Therefore, we need to check ourselves before we ask anything from God: “Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth” (John 9:31).

The Bible speaks of times when God “hides” His face from His people. There are at least two reasons why God should hide His face from His people:
1. Because of sin. Sin separates between God and man. God warned Israel that in the day they become wicked and turn to idolatry He will hide His face from them (Deuteronomy 31:18). A holy God will not meet with sinful people.

2. That we may realize our sin and come to repentance. When God hides His face from an individual or a nation, it is to make them aware of their need for Him once again—to draw them back to Himself. God said: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

God only hides His face from the wicked. But to those who are walking as children of light, the Scripture says the face of God will shine upon them in blessing: “The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace” (Numbers 6:24-26).

Yet, in those days when God hides His face, we must remember that though He may feel distant, and His grace may be delayed in coming, He is not far off, nor is His love fading. In the days when David was running for his life, pursued by his own son Absalom, he felt God was far far away for he cried: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?” (Psalm 22:1). But the truth of the matter is, God was with him. He thwarted the plan of Absalom: “For the LORD had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring evil upon Absalom” (2 Samuel 17:14). God is never far away!

So, what should we do when God hides His face? I suggest the first thing we should do is to search our ways: “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (2 Corinthians 13:5).

The second thing we should do is pray. If a call is important to you, you keep calling the number until the person on the other side picks up the phone, right? Similarly, we are commanded to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). We need to keep on praying in faith to our great God no matter how silent heaven may seem. A persistent prayer can change the heart of God (Luke 18:1-8).

Now the question: Do you think God is looking at you or hiding from you now at this moment? Search your heart if you think God is hiding away from you: “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded” (James 4:8).