Practicing the Presence of God
By Jenny Sung, Executive Coordinator
There is a book called Practicing the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence, a 17th-century Carmelite friar who wrote about the holiness in the common things of daily life. As the cook at the Paris monastery, Brother Lawrence found the joy of incessant prayer through the day. Whether it was washing dishes or preparing a meal, no act was too little or mundane to pray and seek the presence of God.
Sometimes we feel we have to be in a special place, or have worship music on, or be a certain mood to experience the presence of God. Having worship music on and being in contemplative spaces may definitely help, but it is more about the attitude of our hearts. Are we open and attentive to God in all the moments of our days? Are our hearts soft and pliable? Are we leaning toward God, being vulnerable and real, listening for His voice? Brother Lawrence noted that we should establish ourselves in a sense of God’s presence by continually conversing with Him.
If you are not used to this, it may feel foreign at first. Someone once shared with me that they could not imagine talking to someone who they couldn’t touch or see. That’s understandable. It does take a certain leap of faith to be in relationship with God. But He initiated the relationship first. All we do is respond to God’s invitation of love (1 John 4:19). The God of the universe created you, loves you, and gave His life for you through Jesus Christ the Son, and all so that you could be restored into a relationship of love and wholeness with God. It’s mind-blowing when you think about it.
Know that God is faithful. As we take a step of faith toward Him, He responds with greater faith. He often moves in ways we cannot imagine. The more we seek, the more we see. The more we listen, the more we hear His voice. Brother Lawrence wrote, “Let us occupy ourselves entirely in knowing God. The more we know Him, the more we will desire to know Him. As love increases with knowledge, the more we know God, the more we will truly love Him. We will learn to love Him equally in times of distress or in times of great joy.”
If you have never taken a step of faith toward God but want to respond to His invitation of love, try this simple prayer of “Sorry, thank you, please.” It doesn’t have to be eloquent or in the exact order. Just be honest and open, and use your own words, if you want. Here’s a sample prayer:
“God I invite you into my heart; please come into my life. I want to receive Your invitation of love and experience Your presence each day. I’m sorry for all the ways I’ve rejected You, hurt others and myself. Thank You for dying for my sins and making me new. Thank You for loving me. In Jesus name I pray, Amen”
If you just said this prayer, welcome to the family of God! Feel free to contact our church for some practical next steps.
May God bless you, and may we all lean in to experience His presence in every moment of our days.
Prayer: “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ” (Ephesians 3:17b-18). Amen!
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