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You who were once far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
Ephesians 2:13 NIV

I read about the hanging of several Jews in a concentration camp during WWII. One of those being executed was a small boy. While facing the condemned; one of the prisoners said to another, "We have been abandoned. Where is God now?" The floor dropped and the weight of each man on the ropes caused them to expire quickly. The small child was not heavy enough for a quick execution. While he struggled and kicked wildly, the other prisoner answered and said, "God is here with us, hanging from a rope."

You might think that God has abandoned you because of your present hardships. Illness and loss scream in the face of faith. Pain preaches that God is far away or that He is nonexistent. But only the fool would say in his heart that there is no God (Psalm 14:1). One cannot distantly judge God solely on his or her present circumstance. But it is an up close and thriving experience of God that enables us to trust Him, whether we are in trials or triumph.

I would say that God is close to us, close to you. No matter if you are trouble free or dangling at the end of a rope, God is here. And this proximity of God is the direct result of the shed blood of Christ. Without Christ, all one can do is keep his or her chin up and face the afterlife with uncertainty. But if you accept the blood of Christ, you are never alone in this life and you go to the afterlife with assurance and maybe even some anticipation. Ultimately, Christ gives us the choice we never had, a choice to be close to the Father.