In reality, the Lord often reveals Himself to us.  Let’s begin by reading Romans 1:20, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.”  The Lord is revealed to us in His creation.  In the heavens and the firmament the Lord made, all His creation witness His eternal power and His Godhead.  We read in Psalm 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.”  If we will see it, the Lord is manifested by His glorious works.

We read the words of the Lord Jesus in John 14:21, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”  To those who believe and obey the Lord, He will manifest (make known) Himself.  He reveals Himself to us through His Word, through His protection and discipline, through His constant presence.  The Lord even stated of Himself in John 14:9, “Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? HE THAT HATH SEEN ME HATH SEEN THE FATHER; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?” Even now, when we see the Lord Jesus by faith in Him, we also see the Father.

The Lord very often reveals Himself to us through others.  Acts 11:26 tells us, “And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And THE DISCIPLES WERE CALLED CHRISTIANS first in Antioch.” Notice that the disciples did not claim the title of Christians, but those who witnessed their behavior and testimony called them Christians.  The name Christian means ‘Christ-like, or followers of Christ.’  It means that when others saw these disciples, it was as if they had seen the Lord.

Certainly the Lord reveals Himself to us through His Word.  The Lord Jesus said in John 5:39, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”  In this instance, the Lord was referencing the Old Testament (the New Testament had not yet been written), telling His followers that if they would search the scriptures, they would see Him there.  In type and prophesy, the Lord constantly reveals Himself to us in the Old Testament.

If you are asking why the Lord does not reveal Himself today in bodily form, why doesn’t He show Himself and remove all doubt of His existence, why can’t we see Him?  The answer is quite simple.  “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”  (Romans 1:17).  We live by faith, not by sight.  We trust God in all He says to us and we “see Him” by faith.  We do not need a physical representation of the Lord…that is not faith! 

The disciple, Thomas, had a hard time believing that Christ had actually risen from the dead.  John 20:27 tells us, “Then saith he (Jesus) to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.”  We continue to read in verses 28-29, “And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: BLESSED ARE THEY THAT HAVE NOT SEEN, AND YET HAVE BELIEVED.” This is faith…to believe in the Lord without actually seeing Him.  God does reveal Himself to us in many appropriate ways, but He does not appear before us to give us knowledge and guidance.  We get that by reading His Word and relying on His Spirit to reveal the Lord to us.  (CC)  (491.4)