Alone
Someone with friends probably doesn’t think too hard about whether (or not) God is present. But someone who has experienced deep, horrifying loneliness (and can’t resolve his loneliness because he cannot communicate with other human beings (except superficially)) wants desperately for God to be present. But that person has already known the absence of God.
It’s a difficult thing to be honest about. God isn’t here. I would (probably) like him to be here. Maybe, if he was here, I would be afraid of him (instead of being afraid of everyone). He’s more powerful than all of the people I’m afraid of put together.
But this can’t be resolved. Maybe God is present, intangibly. What would that mean?
I’m tempted to ascribe God’s presence to physical things - the bible on my desk, wordlive on the computer - but that may be cheating (in the old testament, it’s called idolatry).
So, alone, lonely, unable to make contact …
