“...hell is often referred to as the"place where God is not.” But God is everywhere, no? So, how can God be absent from any place? The answer is that the human heart, and only the human heart, is able to create a space where God is not permitted to enter. And if God cannot enter, then no human being in his or her full human dignity as a child of God will be able to enter, either.” (Bishop John Michael Botean)
“God’s silence doesn’t mean His absence. Just because you can’t see or hear God doesn’t negate His presence and active work behind the scenes.” (Lois Evans)
“It is the absence of God that elicits within us the greatest grief. Joy is not the absence of sorrows; joy is the presence of God in all these things. It is our impression that we are alone in the midst of our pains that is the source of our greatest sorrow. When God is there, all of our difficulties are infused with a mysterious joy. When He is not, even our greatest earthly happiness is unsatisfying.” (V. Rev. Josiah Trenham, Ph.D)
“We need never shout across the spaces to an absent God. He is nearer than our own soul, closer than our most secret thoughts.” (A.W. Tozer)
“We all have moments when we feel as though God is absent—or even nonexistent...Those periods when He seems distant—or even seems to be a fictional being—are moments when He is actually closer to us than our own breath. These are the moments when God is drawing us out of ourselves and into communion with Him...“These moments strengthen us and enable us to have a mature relationship with God, not unlike the mature relationship a child develops with her parents after taking those first steps alone.” (Abbot Tryphon)