He says in his heart, “God has forgotten, He has hidden His face and will never see.”
The boldness of the wicked is also based on a false conception of God. He thinks that the Lord has forgotten, does not see, or will not intervene. This is the heart of practical unbelief. A person sins because he assumes there will be no accountability. The phrase “He has hidden His face” is his mistaken conclusion about God’s patience. The Lord may for a time not judge in a visible way, but that does not mean He has forgotten. For the believer, this verse carries two messages. First, secret sin is not secret from God; second, the suffering person’s pain is not forgotten either. When it seems that evil goes unpunished, we must remember that the Lord’s silence is not final judgment. He sees and will act in His time. This awareness keeps a person from despair and at the same time calls the one who sins to repentance. As long as God is patient, the way back is open, but His patience must not be confused with indifference.