A profound shift occurs as memories of past divine closeness give way to a desperate cry for God's immediate presence. After reflecting on how God has been intimately close since birth, the speaker now begs Him not to pull away during the bitter times of exile and distress [רד״ק]. In many ways, this urgent request marks the true beginning of the prayer itself [מלבי״ם]. The profound sense of total isolation, coupled with an absolute lack of human support, makes the need for God's intervention deeply urgent.
There is a sharp contrast between the fear of God distancing Himself and the reality of danger drawing near [אבן עזרא]. The approaching threat is near precisely to the degree that God is distant [מאירי]. The natural solution, therefore, is that if God will only draw close, the danger will inevitably retreat [רד״ק].
The plea for God to remain close is driven by two connected realities. First, a severe threat is approaching rapidly, demanding an immediate rescue [מצודת דוד]. Second, there is absolutely no other helper. The primary approach among commentators is that the speaker recognizes there is no other power or person in the entire world to rely on except God.
These two factors intertwine in compelling ways. From a logical standpoint, a protector can only afford to step away under two conditions: either the danger is far enough away to allow time to return, or the victim has another temporary source of support. In this situation, however, neither condition exists, as the threat is immediate and the victim is completely alone [מלבי״ם].
Alternatively, this dynamic can be understood through the lens of historical events, such as the harsh decree of Haman. Even if the actual execution of a threat is far off in time, it is still considered near. Once a severe decree is sealed and a person has no advocate or helper in heaven or on earth, that sheer helplessness makes the danger feel intensely real and immediate. In this sense, the very absence of a helper is exactly what makes the trouble so near [אלשיך].