Brother Lawrence was a monk in France during the 1600’s. He was assigned to the monastery kitchen where, amidst the tedious chores of cooking and cleaning at the constant bidding of his superiors, he developed his rule of spirituality and work.
Brother Lawrence learned to retreat to a place in his heart where the love of God made every detail of his life of surpassing value. He said:
“I began to live as if there were no one save God and me in the world.”
Together, God and Brother Lawrence cooked meals, ran errands, scrubbed pots, and endured the scorn of the world. Brother Lawrence learned to practice the presence of God throughout his day.
To live moment by moment, conscious of God’s presence is the key to Christian living. This is the key to a growing personal relationship with God in the midst of the busyness of life.
6 ways to practice the presence of God throughout your day
1. Begin each day conscious of God.
When you first wake up in the morning focus on God. Meditate on a hymn, a Psalm or other portion of Scripture that will help you come before God in worship. There is power in worship.
Put aside all the cares and pressures of the day and praise God for who He is: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Praise Him for His presence and His promises.
2. Read God’s Word.
Ask God for spiritual insight from the portion of Scripture you read in the morning. Ask God to teach you during the day from that verse. By doing this, you will find greater spiritual depth in applying God’s Word to your daily activities.
3. Pray.
Each morning dedicate yourself to God’s service (Romans 12:1). Confess any known sin and pray for your needs and the needs of others (1 John 1:9; James 5:16b). Speak to the Lord throughout the day as Brother Lawrence was such a great example of. Don’t wait for formal times of prayer.
Keep short accounts of confessed sin. Don’t allow problems to cloud God’s presence (Philippians 4:6-7). He has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us. Therefore tell Him your innermost thoughts. Ask Him for help in every difficulty. Nothing is too small to matter; nothing is too great.
4. Let thankfulness be the habit of your life.
Learn to thank the Lord in every situation you face (1 Thessalonians 5:18). You will be surprised at how much you have to be thankful for when you let God direct your day (Romans 8:28). And thankfulness will produce joy. Even if you feel there is nothing to rejoice in, rejoice in the God of your salvation.
5. Learn to be quiet in God’s presence.
In this hectic world, God’s words: “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10), are much needed. God speaks to the quiet, attentive heart.
By daily reading His Word, it is stored in your mind for the Holy Spirit to call to remembrance. Make time throughout your day to be still and to be quiet before God.
6. At the close of the day, rest in God’s presence.
Thank Him for how He has led you in that day. Meditate on His Word so that the last conscious thoughts on your mind are of His faithfulness. A daily walk with God is the blessed life.
Jesus says: “Come to me . . . and you will find rest for your soul.”
Don’t allow busyness and other distractions to hinder and stop you from coming to Jesus and from growing in your relationship with Him!
How do you practice the presence of God throughout your day?
RECOMMENDED READING: The Life You’ve Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People by John Ortberg
A Few Related Posts You May Find Useful:
Sermon Synopsis 8/12 – Practicing the Presence of God
Sermon Synopsis 12/30 – 3 things that God taught me in 2007
Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Part 7
Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Part 8
I want to know Christ!
The ministry of presence
3 ways to experience joy in our lives
3 ways to practice effective listening skills
We can fall into the trap that we think we’re too busy to practice His presence, to ‘press in’ but this is a great practical reminder that it’s not too hard if we set our hearts and minds on it. Great post, Kevin. Thank you.
Thanks Jason!
I thank God I found this website this morning. I was hungry for fellowship with God and His presence. I have many things happening in my life at one time but i know that praise is comely for the upright and dont want to complain but rejoice and change for Gods glory. I love the Lord and want to be the best christian I can.
Amen Randall!
I love Brother Lawrence. Thank you for bringing him into the conversation today. His wisdom never goes out of style.
His wisdom definitely never goes out of style!
Thanks for sharing Krista!
Right.on.Kevin.
This is a tremendous prescription for staying in the presence of God. I have found over the past several weeks (with the help of my Accountability Network) starting my day in silent listening before God has truly made me more conscious of God all day long. Yahoo!!
Silent listening is definitely powerful!
Thanks Scott!
Had someone give me a copy of that book some time back when I really needed that discipline. Great help. Thanks for the reminder.
Thanks for sharing Artie!
That’s a great list for keeping up with God! Thanks!
You’re welcome Brian!
Thank you so much.
You’re welcome!
Thanks for stopping by!
I saw your tweet, took a look and liked your post, To the point about connecting with God. I like it! Thanks for the reminder.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing Gary!
Great information! I like how practicing the presence of God throughout the day is what brings us closer to God and grows us.
Thanks for sharing Katie!
It really is a discipline, isn’t it? Thanks for a great list of how to make it a reality.
It is indeed a discipline!
Thanks for sharing Sheryl!
Thanks for sharing this great post Kevin. It is such a great feeling to have the presence of God throughout the day.
Yes it is!
Thanks for sharing Jorge.
It’s been some time since I have read Brother Lawrence, and it’s refreshing to read these great steps on practicing His presence. No better time to start than today.
Blessings
Thanks for sharing Yvette!
I read that book a few years ago, but I didn’t absorb most of it. I do need to be better about spending time with God in the morning rather than just putting it off (and then being too tired to do it) in the evening.
Thanks for sharing Jackie!
I love the work of Brother Lawrence. His writings have helped to shape me as a Christian. These 6 steps are a great reminder of how to allow the presence of God to work through me in the day to day. Thank you so much for this post. It was a much needed reminder.
Thanks for sharing Sherry!
Hey Kevin,
I am just starting to read Brother Lawrence’s story as part of our summer reading practice. Very cool to find your post here on your site. I’ll be looking foreward to sharing more insights with you as I learn more.
Practicing the presence of God on a daily basis really is as simple as you want to make it. Blessings to you.
VaNessa
We definitely like to make it more complicated than it actually is.
I look forward to hearing your discoveries from the book!
i think it is the best thing that can happen to any body is to live in his presence,eat it,dewel in it amen
It definitely is Jerry!
Thanks for sharing.
Kevin,
We have a lifestyle that was blessed. 5am in prayer alone every morning. Praying for others that come upon my heart. This is after speaking with God for forgiveness and guidence in his flawless word.
Meditation is daily on his word and praises all day within action worthy. In a quiet place I seek God to give me wisdom and clarity.
His word is studied and I read daily Proverbs which is dated for each day of the month. This is tought in our church…Jubilee of Boston. We are a teaching church.
Keving I would like to bless your and your fammily. May the guidence of God continue within. May his presents never leave you. May all who welcome you be blessed themselves. In Jesus name, Amen.
Kevin,your inspiration and passion has always given me more insite to my purpose to share love and empower others around me. To speak with authority that was given to me. To edify others in all times. So, much more and all to the glory of God.
Thank you for sharing Kevin. I look forward to receiving more promising words to live by. May your mouth continue to be an oricle. Amen.
Hi William:
I truly appreciate your kind words of encouragement!
Thanks!
Kevin
I belong to a Lay Carmelite community. Last year we used The Practice of the Presence of God for our monthly ongoing formation. So far it has been the best of all the book we have used in my opinion. I’m happy to see others who find Brother Lawrence’s message so helpful in deepening their relationship with the Lord. I hope you won’t mind if a correct just one thing. Br. Lawrence wasn’t a monk, but a Catholic Carmelite friar. This is a technical distinction that perhaps makes no difference as far as his spirituality is concerned.
I enjoy reading your blog posts.
Thanks for sharing the distinction Ruth Ann. I didn’t know that.
though this is simple getting people to follow is difficult. I sometimes become too busy to practice the presence of God.
I ask God’s forgiveness for my foolish thinking.
Thanks for sharing and adding to the discussion!
I thank God for this experience. I now feel the presence of God in everything I do. I am happy to know God who can use people like you to open our eyes to see what Godis expecting from us. Amen and Amen
Thanks for stopping by and sharing Boaz!
Im really eager to learn how to enjoy in the presence of God, will put what I learnt from 6 ways to practise God’s presence. Thanx
Thanks for sharing!
elena inguengan says:
Aug. 17, 2012
In my life, how i wish i could fell the presence of God. Thanks God because i came to know now how i could do it. First, we should not forget to have intimate relationship with Him. I would share to you the seven (7) realities of experiencing God: 1. God is always at work around you 2. God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal. 3. God invites you to become involved with Him in His work 4. God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes and His ways. 5. God’s invitation for you to work with Him always leads you to a crisis of belief that requires faith and action 6. You must make major adjustment in your life to join God in what He is doing 7. You come to know God by experience as you obey Him and He accomplished His work through you. I hope this 7 realities is a great help in experiencing God in our life. Thanks
Hi Elena:
Those 7 realities of experiencing God by Henry Blackaby have been very life changing for me.
Thanks for sharing!
Kevin
Bro! Thank you so much for posting this! I was in prayer earlier and I felt the Lord drawing me to more intimacy with Him and to practice His presence more in my life. I googled and came across your posting. I LOVE THIS and am going to put it into action immediately! Much love to you and your family! God bless and keep pursuing Him!
I am glad that you found this post helpful Kenny!
Thanks for sharing!
Hi, I thank God for letting me discover this site, for am blessed through this site and has become a blessing to others.
Thanks for sharing Jacob!
I love how simple, and yet profound this is. It’s a simple reminder we all need. As human beings we seem to forget what we should remember, and remember what we should forget! God bless!
Is this from a book you read about this monk?
I love this phrase: “As human beings we seem to forget what we should remember, and remember what we should forget!” So very true!
These are not from Brother Lawrence but are from a variety of sources.
I think being thankful in everything you received from God is very important. Some people already breath of prayer everyday and I do that too.
Great point Jenna!
Thanks for sharing.
Hello Kevin,
What a great article. These steps that you have listed are simple steps we can all do, but with life being so hectic we can forget even the simplest of things. We all focus on things that we think we need or trying to do to much at one time.
If we would all just “be still” and let God direct our path life would run smooth and it starts by taking action by following the steps you laid out in this article.
God Bless you,
Pastor Mark
Thanks for sharing Pastor Mark!