Brother Lawrence wrote, “I cannot imagine how religious persons can live satisfied without the practice of the presence of God. For my part I keep myself retired with Him in the depth of centre of my soul as much as I can.” What does this mean to you?
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tom felten on June 27, 2012 at 10:01 am
It’s so vital to begin our day with God and to seek Him all day long (Matthew 6:33). When we take our eyes off of Him—allowing lesser gods to fill our heart and mind, we no longer experience the peace of His presence but only the swirling winds of the world.
daisymarygoldr on July 3, 2012 at 3:20 pm
“The practice of the presence of God” is not taught in the Bible. Brother Lawrence was a Catholic monk. As a Catholic School product, I know many of their practices are not scriptural. We need to be careful about teachings like: “God experience”, “spiritual high”, “to dance like a madman”, or “soaking in the presence of God.” No such thing was done by Jesus or His Apostles. Erroneous doctrines subject you to seducing spirits that will feed on your sensuality and eventually result in spiritual death. This is why it is important to test the spirits to see whether they are from God and make sure everything aligns with His Word.
For followers of Christ, God’s presence is in knowing and not in feeling. God is present everywhere yet His presence is made known to individual Christians in relational terms. Babies instinctively know the presence of their mother. No one had to teach my baby how to sense my presence, recognize my voice or know my love. Similarly, we know God as intuitively and intimately as a child would know their parent. Children are not told to practice the presence of parents but to simply ‘be’ in their presence.
Now, unlike the physical presence of a parent we cannot see God in the literal sense. So, in order to know His presence we need to recognize Him. We were created to enjoy God’s company face-to-face in but sin separated us from Him. However, Jesus has given us access to God. When we are born again of God’s Spirit, He comes to live in us. The Holy Spirit opens our inner eyes to recognize the reality of God in Christ. This is how we sense God dwelling within us and also among believers in the body of Christ.
God’s immediate tangible presence is sensed when we read the Bible. Reading the Word means to tune into His voice which will never contradict His Word. If a born-again believer is not able to perceive the presence of God in their life, it is because they are not abiding in God’s Word. Also, when we pray to intercede for others it is to bring them into the Father’s presence. As we spend time in prayer and studying His word, the Holy Spirit reveals to us all things, even the deep things of God. Jesus often withdrew from the crowds to spend time alone in the presence of His Father.
And how is God’s presence evidenced? Regardless of the circumstances, in His presence our souls find rest, there is fullness of joy and peace, we are comforted, and we have satisfaction and supernatural protection. Deliberately living in sin quenches the Spirit and disobedience drives us away from Him. To conclude the matter, we experience God’s presence in the simplicity of a life that is surrendered in humble obedience to His Word. “Keep putting into practice all you learned… Then the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:8).