The Practice of the Presence of God In Modern English

by Brother Lawrence

The way of faith is the spirit of the Church, and it alone is sufficient to bring us to a high degree of perfection.

We ought to give ourselves to God in both mundane and spiritual matters. We should seek our satisfaction only in fulfilling His will, whether that leads to suffering or comfort. All things are equal to a soul truly surrendered to God. There needs to be faithfulness in the dry seasons of the spiritual life, when we feel distant from God and find prayer burdensome. At such times, God is testing our love for Him. Those are the times when we should surrender ourselves to God. If we do this, it will result in spiritual advancement.

He knew that he had an obligation to love God in all things, and he endeavored to do so. Therefore he felt like he had no need of a spiritual director to advise him, but he very much needed a confessor to absolve him. He was very aware of his faults, but he was not discouraged by them. He confessed them to God, but did not plead with Him to excuse them. When he had finished confession, he gently resumed his normal practice of love and adoration.

He did not beat himself up when he sinned. He said, “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.”

Many people do not advance in the Christian life, because they get stuck in penances and particular spiritual exercises. They neglect the love of God, which is the goal. This could be seen plainly by their works, and was the reason why we see so little solid virtue.

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.

Our sanctification does not depend upon changing what we do, but in doing for God’s sake what we normally do for our own sake. It is sad to see how many people mistake the means for the end, addicting themselves to religious works, which they perform very imperfectly because of their human or selfish motives. 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.

We should not become weary of doing little things for the love of God. God regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which the work is done. We should not be surprised if in the beginning we often fail in our endeavors. In the end we will develop a habit, which will naturally produce acts through us without effort, to our exceeding great delight.

"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."

When we are faithful to keep ourselves in His holy Presence, and set Him always before us, this prevents us from willfully offending and displeasing Him. It also produces within us a holy freedom and (if I may speak so boldly) an intimacy with God, so that we are able to ask, and successfully receive by his grace, anything that we need.

I consider myself the most wretched of men, full of wounds and uncleanness. I have committed all sorts of crimes against my Sovereign. Prompted by heartfelt repentance, I confess all my wickedness to Him. I ask His forgiveness and give myself fully into His hands. He may do whatever He wants with me. 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. He treats me in all respects as His favorite son. This is how I come into God’s holy presence.

The soul which enjoys God desires nothing but Him. If what is within me is delusion, then let God fix it. Let Him do what He pleases with me. I desire only Him, and to be wholly devoted to Him.

the heart must be empty of all other things. God will possess the heart alone. He cannot possess it solely without emptying it of everything else. He cannot act in the heart, and do what He wants within it, unless it is empty.

Do not be discouraged by the natural resistance that you might experience in doing this practice. You must be forceful with yourself. In the beginning, one often thinks of this practice as wasting time. But you must continue and persevere in it, even unto death, triumphing over all the difficulties that may occur.

I advise you not to use a lot of words in prayer. Many words and long monologues are the causes of wandering minds. Instead, hold yourself in prayer before God like a mute and paralyzed beggar at a rich man's gate. Let it be your purpose only to keep your mind in the presence of the Lord. If it sometimes wanders and withdraws itself from Him, do not worry yourself about it. Worry and anxiety distract the mind rather than focus it. The will must bring the mind back in tranquility. If you persevere in this manner, God will be gracious to you.

One does not become holy all at once.

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? You will probably tell me that I am always saying the same thing. It is true. It is because this is the best and easiest method I know. I use no other, and therefore I advise everyone in the world to do it. 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.

When pains come from God, only God can cure them. He often sends diseases of the body to cure diseases of the soul. Comfort yourself with the sovereign Physician of both soul and body.

Be courageous. Offer your pain continually to God. Pray to Him for the strength to endure. Most importantly, maintain a habit of the awareness of God. Forget Him as seldom as you can. Adore Him in your illness. Offer yourself to Him repeatedly. When you are in the midst of suffering, beseech Him humbly and affectionately, as a child would implore his father, to conform you to His holy will. I shall try to assist you with my poor prayers.

I told you in my last letter that God sometimes permits bodily diseases in order to cure problems of the soul. Have courage then. Make a virtue of necessity. Don’t ask God for deliverance from your pain, but for strength to bear it resolutely. Bear it for the love of Him, as much as He wills, for as long as He wills it. 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. I urge you to comfort yourself with Him, who is the only Physician able to cure all our maladies. He is the Father of the afflicted, and He is always available to help us. He loves us infinitely more than we can imagine. Love Him in return, and do not seek consolation elsewhere. I hope you will soon receive it. Adieu. I will be praying for you, as poor as my prayers are. I shall be always yours in our Lord.

The grace of God is necessary every moment, for without it the soul can do nothing. The world, the flesh, and the devil join forces and assault the soul directly and relentlessly. Without humble reliance on the ever-present assistance of God, they drag the soul down in spite of all resistance. To rely on God’s help seems difficult, but grace makes it easy, and it brings joy.