The Practice of the Presence of God

Over the past several weeks I have been exposed to many endearing notions of the Love and Grace of God. This past Saturday, I helped to lead worship for an all-day conference at a local church in which the speakers spoke of the beauty and the continual Grace of our Father. One speaker explained that "grace is opposed to earning, but it is not opposed to effort". In other words, we cannot "earn" our faith or the redemption that comes along with grace. It is only by the Love of our Father that we can be made brand new. We are nothing without Him.


We were all given a few books to help us in further understanding what it means to live with an understanding of God's Grace, one of which was The Practice of the Presence of God, by brother Lawrence. It is a short book, but it is packed full of such beautifully simple language that describes the joys and fulfillment that comes along with the presence of God. Brother Lawrence explains that it is essential to spend every possible moment in the presence of the Lord, whether you be washing dishes at work or simply enjoying time with Him in the quiet solitude of your home.

"We must...trust in God and surrender completely to Him. He will not deceive us. Never tire of doing even the smallest things for Him, because He isn't impressed so much with the dimensions of our work as with the love in which it is done. We should not be discouraged if we fail in the beginning. This practice will eventually cause our efforts to become a pleasurable habit that we can do without thinking."

"Our actions should unite us with God when we are involved in our daily activities, just as our prayers unite us with Him in our quiet devotions."

"It isn't necessary that we stay in church in order to remain in God's presence. We can make our hearts personal chapels where we can enter anytime to talk to God privately."

We were created in order to enjoy friendship with our Creator. The trivial and unimportant things of this world should not be our focus. Nothing else in this world matters. But we so often allow ourselves to become wrapped up in earthly matters, allowing our focus to drift away from God.

"...we are content with too little. God has infinite treasures to give to us... Why should we be satisfied with a brief moment of worship? With such meager devotion, we restrain the flow of God's abundant grace. If God can find a soul filled with a lively faith, He pours His grace into it in a torrent that, having found an open channel, gushes out exuberantly."

"...it is necessary for the heart to be emptied of everything that would offend God. He wants to possess our hearts completely. Before any work can be done in our souls, God must be totally in control."

This practice takes time to learn. It is important to center every activity around Him, whether it be small or large. We must try not to allow our wandering minds to distract us from focusing on Him, but it is important to remember that we can't do this alone.

"Gradually train yourself to show your love for Him by asking for His grace. Offer your heart to Him at every moment. Don't restrict your love of Him with rules or special devotions. Go out in faith, with love and humility."

"Simply present yourself to God as if you were a poor man knocking on the door of a rich man, and fix your attention on His presence. If your mind wanders at times, don't be upset, because being upset will only distract you more. Allow your will to recall your attention to God."

We could never earn our way into heaven, nor could we ever attempt to erase our iniquity. He is our Strength, and it is important that we don't forget that.

"Let us remember... that our sole occupation in life is to please God. What meaning can anything else have? Have we really used those years [with God] to love and serve God, who, by His mercy, called us for that purpose? When I consider the blessings God has given and still continues to give me, I feel ashamed. I feel I have abused those blessings, barely using them profitably to become more like Christ."

I am learning how to spend more time with my Father every day. I am learning more about Him as I give more of myself to Him, and He continues to bless me in ways that surprise me continually.

"We have to know someone before we can truly love them. In order to know God, we must think about Him often. Once we get to know Him, we will think about Him even more often, because where our treasure is, there also is our heart!"