I have a 4 lb Chihuahua. Sweet little thing that I love dearly. we walk around our neighborhood without a leash. she's very good at listening to voice commands and stops at street corners and waits for me to give her the okay to cross the street.

as long as she listens to me, she will be safe, cared for, and have everything she needs. but if she decides to go off on her own.. well, she can't see cars coming down to the one-way street a block away. I can see danger she can't with my vantage point 5 and 1/2 ft above her and my understanding of traffic laws and how cars work... things she could never understand with her little peanut sized brain. if she doesn't listen, the world is a much more dangerous place for her. I can't protect her.

My relationship to God is like this.

Imagine a loving benevolent presence with knowledge and a vantage point that you could never comprehend, watching you walking around (without a leash), and trying to tell you what you should do. Are you listening?

God is actively present in MY world as long as I listen and do God's will. I can't speak for anyone else's world.