"God's Absence"
- Michael Haldas
- Sep 25
- 4 min read
“All things that exist, bad and good, only do exist because God’s uncreated energy, His grace, binds and fulfills and sustains them…Nothing exists “on its own.” We are not deists, for we do not believe that God created the world and then walked away from it. God is not absent from His world. He is present everywhere, sustaining all things through His uncreated grace.” (St. Dionysios the Areopagite, Timothy G. Patitsas)
“Humans cannot help us physically, emotionally, mentally or spiritually if God does not interfere. When we find a practical solution to our problems, we need to understand that behind any solution, behind any person who has ever helped us, it is God who blessed us to find what we were after through that certain path or person. When we do not find what we are after, we then also need to understand that God is behind the absence of a solution, for reasons that He knows. Even Saints had problems they could never overcome—health problems, problems with their fellow people, Church problems, all sorts of problems and difficulties.” (Bishop Emilianos)
“Darkness is not only physical, for there also exists emotional darkness as well as spiritual darkness. Darkness is not only exterior to us, for sometimes it is in our hearts and minds even on a sunny day. The Good News is that the Lord of Light is also the God of darkness. God is not totally absent when we are in darkness whether physical, emotional or spiritual.” (Fr. Ted Bobosh)
“You should know there are two things that are very useful in our lives. The first is when we think that God has abandoned us. Does God abandon anyone? God does not abandon anyone, ever. But sometimes we feel like He does, according to our opinion or judgment, or because our plans do not align with God’s. When I ask for something in my prayer, like: “God please make my headache go away,” it’s like I’m telling God that for me to feel His Love, He only has to cure my headache. If God does not cure my headache, I feel that He does not love me. Therefore, it is not God who abandons me, but I who abandon true prayer by only praying for what I want and not because I love God. When He does not agree with my opinion, judgment, and desires, I feel that God has abandoned me. In reality, I have abandoned Him by following myself and wanting God to follow what I want.” (Bishop Emilianos)
“We tend to pursue and prioritize the temporary over the eternal. Have you ever noticed the exhilaration of your accomplishments and achievements fade over time to the point of being forgotten, even when they are an expression of your God given gifts and talents? Likewise, have you noticed that your love for your loved ones, whether they are alive or gone, does not fade, and may even intensify when they are physically absent? This speaks to the nature of what is temporary and finite versus what is eternal. It also speaks to what we should prioritize which is to love God and love others first as expressed in our actions of worship, prayer, care, and giving. When we do that, get things in the right priority order, it has been my experience that everything else in our life tends to fall into place, including the best opportunities to use our gifts and talents. It also attunes us to the ever presence of God even when certain circumstances tempt us to believe He is absent in them.” (Sacramental Living Ministries)
“...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)
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