Scripture: “Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?” declares the Lord. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the Lord.
— Jeremiah 23:24
For many LGBTQ+ people, the closet is not simply a place of secrecy. It can be a place of survival. Some remain closeted because they fear rejection from family, church, or community. Others may face threats to their safety, employment, housing, or relationships. Many LGBTQ+ Christians know this struggle all too well, carrying a part of themselves in silence while trying to remain faithful to God.
When people speak about coming out, they often present it as the only path to authenticity and freedom. While coming out can be a beautiful and life-giving experience, not everyone is in a position to do so. Every person’s circumstances are different, and no one should be judged for the decisions they make about their own safety and well-being.
What Jeremiah reminds us is that whether we are out, closeted, questioning, or somewhere in between, God sees us.
“Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?” God is not speaking words of condemnation here. Rather, God is reminding us that there is nowhere we can go where God is absent. There is no hidden corner of our lives beyond God’s sight, care, and love.
The psalmist echoes this truth:
“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” (Psalm 139:7).
Even in our most private fears and struggles, God remains with us. God knows the parts of ourselves we share openly and the parts we guard closely. Nothing about us is hidden from God—not our hopes, our fears, our relationships, our questions, or our identity.
And what God sees, God loves.
Romans 8:38-39 reminds us:
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers… will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Not even a closet can separate us from God’s love.
For those who have come out, God sees your courage.
For those who cannot come out, God sees your struggle.
For those who are still discerning what authenticity looks like in their lives, God sees your journey.
Jesus tells us that God knows us completely, even down to the number of hairs on our heads (Luke 12:7). The God who knows us so intimately does not abandon us because others fail to understand us.
Whether you are publicly out or carrying your truth quietly for now, remember this: you are not invisible to God. You do not have to earn God’s love by being brave enough, outspoken enough, or visible enough. God’s love reaches you exactly where you are.
You are seen.
You are known.
You are loved.
Joe
The Closet Professor 
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