Musing - How to Practice the Presence of God?

 Hebraic Musing - How to Practice the Presence of God?

We serve an Omnipresent God, whether we want to realize it or not.  And if you are like me, you want to be fully cognizant of His divine presence at all times!  Here are some relevant quotes from Brother Lawrence.*

When he “became religious” he – “Took a resolution to give myself up to GOD, as the best return I could make for His love, and, for the love of Him, to renounce all besides.”  When I, Joe, fell to my knees I said “Jesus Christ, you are real.  I need to learn more about you.”  So, we have somewhat similar testimonies!

What did Bro L do?  “For the first year I commonly employed myself during the time set apart for devotion with the thought of death, judgment, heaven, hell, and my sins…” and he found himself “applying my mind carefully the rest of the day, and even in the midst of my business, to the presence of GOD, whom I considered always as with me, often as in me.”   “At length… which caused in me great delight and consolation.” 

Instant solution?  No.  He goes on to confess – “Such was my beginning: and yet I must tell you that for the first ten years I suffered much: the apprehension that I was not devoted to GOD as I wished to be, my past sins always present to my mind, and the great unmerited favors which GOD did me, were the matter and source of my sufferings.”

Bro L thought he would “End my days in these troubles” until “I found myself all at once ; and my soul, which, till that time, was in trouble, felt a profound inward peace, as if she were in her centre and place of rest.”

This is what I would refer to as his achieved level of devotion.   “As for what passes in me at present, I cannot express it.  I have no pain or difficulty about my state, because I have no will but that of GOD, which I endeavor to accomplish in all things, and to which I am so resigned that I would not take up a straw from the ground against His order, or from any other motive than purely that of love to Him.”

He describes his present business – “And I make it my business only to persevere in His holy presence, wherein I keep myself by a simple attention, and a general fond regard to GOD, which I may call an actual presence of GOD; or, to speak better, an habitual, silent and secret conversation of the soul with GOD, which often causes me joys and raptures inwardly, and sometimes also outwardly, so great, that I am forced to use means to moderate them and prevent their appearance to others.”

And I call this his summary statement for now.  “In short, I am assured beyond all doubt that my soul has been with GOD above these thirty years.  I pass over many things that I may not be tedious to you yet I think it proper to inform you after what manner I consider myself before GOD, whom I behold as my King.”

In another writing, Bro L describes “Means for Attaining unto the Presence of GOD” – “The first is a great purity of life; in guarding ourselves with care lest we should do or say or think on anything, which might be displeasing to GOD; and, when any such thing happens, in taking heed to repent thereof, humbly begging His forgiveness.”   I’ll bet he was truly truly truly truly repentant!

Bro Lawrence has a lot more to say, but I hope and trust that you find this as inspiring as I did/do.

Points to ponder   or   RSVP

Do you feel challenged?    Do you sense His presence?  …at all times?

How wonderful to be loved by an Omniscient, Omnipresent and Omnipotent GOD!
And what a responsibility!

“This then is how we know that we belong to the truth,
and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us.
For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.” 1 John 3:19-20  NIV

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                     August 11, 2020

Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith” 
“Biblical Marriage (by Yosef)”   Weekly “Hebraic Musings”

*   Inspired & excerpted from “The Practice of the Presence of God” – Attributed to Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection (c.1614 – 12 Feb. 1691) who served as a lay brother in a Carmelite monastery in Paris.  He is remembered for the intimacy he expressed concerning his relationship to God as recorded in “The Practice of the Presence of God”.