The Nearness Beyond Perception Argument

 The Nearness Beyond Perception Argument

By Michael Haimes

Premise 1: Perceived distance from God is often interpreted as divine absence or judgment.

Premise 2: But God’s presence is not always emotional, visible, or immediate—it is often quiet, refining, and unseen.

Premise 3: Divine hiddenness may be a form of sacred intimacy—God trusting us to walk by depth rather than signs.

Premise 4: Comparison of spiritual experiences leads to ego and error; closeness must be defined by alignment, not sensation.

Premise 5: Jesus, Job, Moses, and many others felt abandoned at their holiest moments—not because God was far, but because they were being shaped most deeply.

Conclusion:

Closeness to God cannot be measured by perception. Hiddenness may be the greatest nearness of all.

Who are we to judge how close one could be?