Do not think, because you experience adversity, that the hand of the Lord is shortened. It is not our prosperity but our holiness that he seeks with all his heart. And to that end, he rules the whole world. As Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.”
He is a big God for little people, and we have great cause to rejoice that, unbeknownst to them, all the kings and presidents and premiers and chancellors of the world follow the sovereign decrees of our Father in heaven, that we, the children, might be conformed to the image of his Son, Jesus Christ.
John Piper, Good News of Great Joy: Daily Readings for Advent, p. 8.
This is a great set of short readings for every day of Advent and is available for free download at Desiring God. You can still make this season of Advent special in your family! I highly recommend it.
The Works of God 
I personally testify it is just the opposite ~ He’s ever closer!