God Is Here

Once, there was a little fish swimming in the ocean. He swam up to an older, wiser fish and asked, “Can you help me, please? I’m looking for this thing called ‘the ocean.’ Can you help me find it?” The older, wiser fish looked puzzled and said, “This is the ocean—it’s all around you.” The little fish looked disappointed and responded, “No, this is just water. I’m looking for the ocean.” And he swam away, sad.¹

Don’t you just want to yell to the little fish, “Look around, little fish! The ocean is all around you!”

Some of us have been taught to believe that there is a distance between us and God, that somehow there is a gap between us that needs to be bridged. Sometimes, we feel that God is far away or even absent.

But even though you may have been taught that we are separate from God and that our problem, as human beings, is that we have to find God and construct a bridge to cross the canyon between God and us, that doesn’t mean it’s true. And even if we feel like God is absent, that doesn’t mean it’s true either.

What we’ve been taught doesn’t determine where God is. Neither do our feelings.

The truth is, God is closer than you think, because God is right here. God is all around us and within us.

Paul, one of the earliest Christians, said that God is the one in whom “we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28). I think that’s Paul’s way of saying we are like the little fish and God is the ocean. God is all around us. And in us. And close to us. So close to us. But we don’t always realize it, or we don’t care, or maybe we simply don’t take the time to notice.

God is closer to you than you think because God is always present. And that’s really good news, because God is also love. You are embraced by love. You are swimming in God’s love. Always.

So, when you decide to take time to pray, remember: You don’t have to convince God to come close to you and you don’t have to build a bridge to God. God is already there. Prayer is not like tryin

g to cross a river to get to God on the other side. God is on your side. God is at your side. Prayer is more like opening your eyes and your mind and your heart to God, who is already there.

Sometimes, when I sit down to pray, I say, “Well, God, here I am. And here you are. How lucky for us both.”

L. Roger Owens is professor of Christian spirituality and ministry at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and the author of several books, including Praying Their Way, which he co-authored with his 15-year-old daughter, Mary Clare. 

This article was adapted from Praying Their Way: 24 Prayer Practices for Kids and the Adults Who Love Them by L. Roger Owens with Mary Clare Owens (Upper Room Books, 2026).

1. This is a paraphrase of the way Anthony de Mello, S.J., tells the story in his The Song of the Bird (New York: Image Books, 1982).

Journal Prompts

Has it ever seemed to you that God is absent or far away? Think about a time it seemed like this was true. Why did it feel that way? 

Does it make a difference to you to be reminded that God is close to you all the time, like an ocean of love surrounding you? Why does it matter to know that? 

In what ways can you remind yourself of how close God is, especially when God doesn’t feel close?

Share your responses with others in the comments below!