Okay, it’s a paradox, but it’s an important one, one you need to embrace and trust.

Sometimes God is obvious and accessible. His Word speaks clearly on what he has done to rescue a broken and fallen mankind. The work of Christ is narrated and explained in the clearest possible language, and Christ’s mercy is extended to all through Word and sacrament. 

But God does not always make clear what he is going to do in the future. “Truly you are a God who has been hiding himself” (Isaiah 45:15). God feels absolutely no obligation to tip his cards. Our information is on a need-to-know basis. Even Elisha, one of the greatest of his prophets, had to wait with the rest for clarity and outcomes: “When she reached the man of God [i.e., Elisha] at the mountain, she took hold of his feet. Gehazi came over to push her away, but the man of God said, ‘Leave her alone! She is in bitter distress, but the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me why’” (2 Kings 4:27).

Does God’s reticence disappoint you? Don’t let it. Parents do not always feel obligated to explain themselves to their children, and they know also that their children are not always ready for the realities of the adult world. 

The time of full disclosure will soon be here. Paul said, “Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12).