God's Nearness
“Whether it’s combating habitual sin, toxic relationships, financial meltdowns, strong enemies growing ever stronger, nothing seems more to define the common experience of Christians than the sense that God is far away.” (Hieromonk Maximus)
“I think the reason we sometimes have the false sense that God is so far away is because that is where we have put Him. We have kept Him at a distance, and then when we are in need and call on Him in prayer, we wonder where He is. He is exactly where we left Him.” (Ravi Zacharias)
“God is nearer to us than any man at every time. He is nearer to me than my raiment, nearer than the air or light, nearer than my wife, father, mother, daughter, son, or friend. I live in Him, soul and body. I breathe in Him, think in Him, feel, consider, intend, speak, undertake, work in Him. “For in Him we live, and move, and have our being” [Acts 17:28].” (St. John of Krondstat)
“Loss of faith and conviction should not plague us, for the veiling of divinity is removed “in Christ” (2 Corinthians 3:14) unless we choose to turn away. When we turn to the Lord, the impenetrable veil hiding God is removed. We are not kept from God; rather, He is near to every one of us.” (OCPM 10/24/015)
“The Lord comes to us in the stillness of our hearts and provides for us in ways that are not even known to us. He loved us before our conception in the wombs of our mothers and is close to us even when we think He is far away...Our hope is eternal, because God’s love is eternal.” (Abbot Tryphon)
"We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade the presence of God. The world is crowded with Him. He walks everywhere incognito." (C. S. Lewis)
“People look everywhere but to God for excitement and meaning. For some reason, they expect God to be dull and lifeless. Just as the wine Jesus made was the best, so life in Him is better than life on our own.” (Life Application Study Bible, John 2:10)
“The great mistake we keep on making is thinking that reality can be seen from our vantage point, as though we stood at the center of things and were able to make an accurate survey of the surrounding truths...God and God alone stands at the center, just as He is present in every periphery and everywhere between. Only God has a clear view of reality, because only God has reality in Himself.” (Hieromonk Maximus)
“…before us, around us, and within us is visible nature, all God’s beautiful world; in it we see everywhere life, harmonious order, action, but we do not see the Author of life and order, we do not see the Great Architect Himself, although meanwhile He is present at every moment in every place…Thus you look upon the world, but look upon it and observe everywhere in it its Author -God, everywhere present in it, filling everything, moving in everything, and ordering everything.” (St. John of Krondstadt)
“Our hearts need to come to the fixed conclusion that God is everywhere present—that He is more real than the things we may think of as “real” and is deeply and utterly committed to our transformation into the image of His beloved Son.” (Fr Stephen Freeman) “…remember that God is always with you, everywhere, whether you are walking or sitting.” (St. Gennadius of Constantinople)