The sages taught that God is nearer to His people than any earthly king is to his subjects. The Midrash (Jerusalem Talmud Berakhot 9:1, Mekhilta to Jethro) develops this idea through a series of comparisons that would have been vivid to people living under Roman rule.
An earthly king sits in his palace, surrounded by walls, guards, ministers, and layers of protocol. A common citizen who wishes to speak to the king must pass through gate after gate, official after official, waiting room after waiting room. Even then, he may be turned away. The distance between the king and his people is measured in barriers.
God operates differently. A person in distress does not need to pass through gates. There are no guards to bribe, no officials to petition, no waiting rooms to endure. A person can cry out to God from anywhere — from a prison cell, from a sickbed, from the middle of the ocean — and be heard instantly.
The sages specified: God is as close as a person's own mouth. The moment you form the words of prayer, God is there. You do not need to shout. You can whisper. You can even think the prayer without speaking it, and God hears the thought before it reaches your lips.
This teaching was revolutionary in its implications. It meant that the poorest, most isolated, most powerless person in the world had better access to the ultimate King than the wealthiest Roman citizen had to the Emperor. The hierarchy of human power was inverted. The last were first. The most vulnerable had the closest connection. God near His people — not as a slogan but as a daily, moment-by-moment reality.