The Practice of the Presence of God In Modern English

by Brother Lawrence

In order to form a habit of communing with God continually and committing everything we do to Him, we must at first make a special effort. After a while we find that His love inwardly inspires us to do all things for Him effortlessly.

He said that we ought to relate to God in the greatest simplicity, speaking to Him frankly

and plainly, and imploring His assistance in our affairs

as they happen. In his experience, God never fail...

He always enjoyed himself no matter what he was doing because he did everything, even the smallest things, for the love of God.

Even the busiest work did not distract him from his communion with God.

“Useless thoughts spoil everything,”

he said. All trouble began there. We ought to let go of such thoughts as soon as we are aware of them. They are worthless to either life or salvation. We should return quickly to our communion with God.

all bodily spiritual disciplines and exercises are useless. All that is needed to bring us to union with God is love. He had pondered this subject much, and concluded that the shortest way to God was to go straight to Him by a continual exercise of love and doing everything for His sake.

We should concern ourselves only with loving and delighting ourselves in God.

“When I fail in my duty to God, I immediately acknowledge it, saying, ‘All I do is sin, and I shall never do otherwise if I am left to myself.’ If I do something well, I give God thanks and acknowledge that everything good that I do comes from Him.”

The spiritual life is neither an art nor a science. To arrive at union with God all one needs is a heart resolutely determined to apply itself to nothing but Him, do nothing but for His sake, and to love Him only.

We just need to recognize God as intimately present with us and address ourselves to Him every moment. When in doubt, we can ask His assistance in knowing His will. We can also ask his help in performing those things which we know He requires of us. We should offer everything to Him before we do it and give Him thanks after we have finished.

The most excellent method he had found of going to God was to do our normal activities without any view of pleasing men, and (as far as we are able) purely for the love of God.

It is just as important to adhere to God by action in the time of action, as by prayer in time of prayer.

God regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which the work is done.

All things are possible to him who believes. They are less difficult to him who hopes. They are easier to him who loves. And they are easiest to him who perseveres in the practice of all three virtues.

The goal of the spiritual life is to become the most perfect worshippers of God that we can possibly be, in this life and throughout all eternity.

he had considered God as the end of all his thoughts and desires. God was the target to which everything should point, and the goal in which everything will be fulfilled.

He surrendered himself to an attitude of faithful devotion and insight rather than reasoning and thinking. By this simple and sure method, he practiced the knowledge and love of God, resolving to use every effort to live in a continual sense of His Presence, and if possible, never to forget Him.

As he proceeded in his work, he continued in intimate conversation with his Maker, imploring His grace, and offering to Him all his actions.

"By getting up after every fall, and by frequently renewing my faith and love, I have arrived at a state of mind where it is more difficult for me NOT to think of God as it was at the beginning to think of Him."

It was observed that even in the midst of the greatest bustle of kitchen work, he preserved his composure and heavenly-mindedness. He was never hurried or loitering. He did everything in its season with an even uninterrupted composure and tranquility of spirit.

Sometimes I imagined myself as a poor criminal at the feet of the Divine Judge. At other times I would behold Him in my heart as my Divine Father. I worshipped Him as often as I could, keeping my mind in His holy Presence. Whenever I noticed that my mind had wandered, I brought it back to Him. I found this very difficult, and yet I continued in the practice, without feeling guilty when my mind wandered involuntarily. I made this my constant exercise all day long, whether it was the appointed time of prayer or not. At all times - every minute of every hour, even at the busiest time of my work - I drove from my mind everything that was capable of interrupting my thought of God.

by repeating this practice often it becomes second nature, and the presence of God becomes our normal state of mind.

But my Lord, who is full of mercy and goodness, does not punish me. Instead he embraces me in love, seats me at His table, and serves me with His own hands. He hands me the key to His treasure trove. He converses with me and shows his delight in me incessantly in thousands of ways.

I present myself to God, and I desire Him to make His perfect image in my soul, and make me entirely like Himself.

But when God finds a soul penetrated with a living faith, He pours into it His grace and blessings plentifully. They flow like a torrent, finding a way around every obstacle, spreading out with extravagant and reckless abundance.

Those who have the wind of the Holy Spirit go forward even in sleep. If the ship of our soul is still tossed with winds and storms, let us awake the Lord, who sleeps in it, and He will quickly calm the sea.

If we realized our need for the grace and assistance of God, we would never lose sight of Him, not even for a moment. Believe me in this matter. Right now make a binding and sacred resolution never to willfully forget Him again. Spend the rest of your life in His sacred presence, even if loving him means to be deprived of all other comforts.

We are to bring our mind back to God gently and quietly whenever we find it wandering from Him.

How can we pray to Him without being with Him? How can we be with Him unless we think of Him often? And how can we think of Him often unless we make this a holy habit?

We must know God before we can love God. In order to know God, we must think of Him often. When we grow to love Him, then we shall think of Him often. Our heart will be where our treasure is.

God has many ways of drawing us to Himself. Sometimes He hides Himself from us. Only faith will not fail us in time of need. Complete confidence in God should be our strength and foundation.

Such prayers are against our nature, yet they are most acceptable to God, and sweet to those who love Him. Love sweetens pain. When one loves God, one suffers for His sake with joy and courage.

How sweet is it to suffer with God! However great the suffering may be, we receive it with love. It is paradise to suffer and be with Him.

If we realized how much He loves us, we would always be willing to receive both the sweet and the bitter equally and indifferently from His hand.

that everything we do be little acts of communion with God.

We must go about our daily activities quietly, calmly, and lovingly, asking Him to bless the work of our hands. By keeping our heart and mind fixed on God, we shall bruise the head of the evil one, and cast his weapons to the ground.

What offering is more acceptable to God than to, periodically throughout the day, leave behind the things of our outward senses and withdraw within to worship Him in the secret place of the soul?

It is only right that we owe Him all our thoughts, words and actions. Let us pay our debt.

If this is offered unceasingly, it will eventually become natural for us.

For God’s love is truly a consuming fire, burning to ashes all that is contrary to His will. The soul that is kindled cannot live except in the Presence of God. This Presence produces within the heart a consecrated zeal, a holy ardor, and a violent passion to see this God known and loved, served and worshipped, by all His creatures.