I am learning to dwell with God and be present with him through my granddaughter. I get the honor of spending every Monday with her while her parents are at work. When she is awake, I have resolved to be present to her, to not look at my phone or turn my attention away from her (as much as is reasonably possible). I put aside other distractions and focus on her. I look into her eyes and listen to her babbles. I talk to her constantly, read her books, pray for her out loud, and tell her how much I love her. While we take walks, I point out the beauty of God’s world and how she too is a beautiful creation. I stay in her presence.

I can’t help but think this is how God wants to be present with us. To have concentrated time when we talk to each other and hear his voice telling us how loved we are. To focus our attention, our heart solely on him. Because he dwells in us (Eph 2:22), we abide in and practice his presence. So how do we do this practically?

Practicing the Presence of God is a spiritual discipline introduced by Brother Lawrence, a lay brother in the Carmelite monastery in Paris in the mid 1600s. He worked in the kitchen and sandal repair shop, and learned to be in God’s presence while doing chores.

Brother Lawrence developed the gift of being able to pray incessantly with God throughout the his day regardless of whatever else he was doing. This produced such a change in him that many people sought him out for spiritual guidance.

After he died, his letters and conversations were compiled into the book, The Practice of the Presence of God. This short book simply and beautifully explains how to continually walk with God, not from the head but from the heart.

The following quotes are taken from An Abridged and Contemporary Version of The Practice of the Presence of God: The Best Rule of a Holy Life, Letters by Brother Lawrence, edited by Don Milam.¹

After reading the quotes, describe what Brother Lawrence means by practicing the presence of God.

Turn your thoughts towards God as often as you can. By small steps, get used to this small but holy exercise. Think of God as often as you can.

Make it your habit to maintain an intimate, humble, affectionate conversation with Him.

I may call this the actual presence of God or more appropriately, it is a habitual, silent, and secret conversation of the soul with God.

How does Brother Lawrence keep practicing the presence of God from becoming a legalistic exercise, or yet another thing to do?

Consider God as the aim and the end of all your thoughts and desires.

The most excellent method for going to God is that of doing your common business without any view of pleasing men but purely for the love of God.

Do nothing, say nothing, and think nothing that might displease Him. Do this for no other purpose than purely for the love of Him and because He deserves infinitely more.

You need not cry very loud. He is nearer to you than you are aware of. You do not always need to be in church to be with God.

Ponder your relationship with God. Have you been neglecting him? How often do you think about him during the day?

Think often on God, by day, by night, in your business, and even in your entertainments. He is always near you and with you. Leave Him not alone. You would think it rude to leave a friend alone, one that came to visit you. Why then must God be neglected? Do not then forget Him, but think on Him often, adore Him, continually live and die with Him.

What is your reaction to Brother Lawrence’s view of God? How do you think God feels about your attention and conversation?

This King, full of mercy and goodness, rather than chastising me, He embraces me with love. He makes me eat at His table, serves me with His own hands and gives me the key to His treasures. He converses and delights Himself with me incessantly, in a thousand and a thousand ways. In so many ways, He treats me as His favorite. From time to time, this is how I feel in His holy presence.

In this world there is no other life that is more sweet and delightful, than that of a continual conversation with God.

Resolve to use your utmost endeavor to live in a continual sense of His presence, and, if possible, never to forget Him more.

How does one continually converse with God and still fulfill one’s daily duties? Is this realistic? Would you find this delightful?

PRACTICAL IDEAS:

• Choose a phrase or verse to bring your attention back to God (breath prayer). For example, “Your face Lord, I will seek” (Ps 27:8) or “Holy One, show me the way” (Ps 143:8).
• Instead of multitasking with a podcast, pray, give thanks, meditate on scripture, or listen to the audio Bible.
• Stop midday or at regular intervals to pray (perhaps set a timer).
• Intentionally talk to God during specific daily activities (i.e. while traveling to/from someplace, walking, working out etc.)
• Write verses on your hand, phone wallpaper, or sticky notes to read or pray regularly.
• Imagine yourself in the presence of Jesus (in his arms, on his lap etc.).
• Set a verse to pop up on your screens at a certain time every day.
• Associate a routine activity (tooth brushing, bed making, cooking) with talking to God.
• Whenever you start a new task, acknowledge your dependence on God and ask for his help.

Write your thoughts to the Lord. Choose a practical help as the Holy Spirit leads you.

PRAYER

Dear Lord, How awesome it is that my God who does not dwell in man-made temples, dwells in me! Praise you, Lord! Now teach me how to experience your presence, to practice it. Prompt me to turn my attention to you regularly, to connect with you as often as possible, to converse with you as I do my closest friends.

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1. James W. Goll, The Lost Art of Practicing His Presence (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, 2005). ↩︎