Practicing the Presence of God

Years ago I heard a message by John Ortberg on the topic of practicing the presence of God. John was the teaching pastor at my church, and over the years I had listened to numerous, inspiring messages by him. However, this message in particular, this topic, made such a profound, life-changing impact on me. 

In his message, John shared the story of Brother Lawrence, a man born in the 1600’s who served the Lord wholeheartedly. Brother Lawrence’s primary goal in life was to be aware of God’s constant presence whether he was praying on his knees, working at his job, talking to a friend, basically throughout all of his day. He called it simply having ‘conversations with God’. Over time, as he trained himself to experience God’s presence in everything he did, his character began to change. Brother Lawrence became a calm, gentle man filled with humility and joy. People who met him could sense a peace that seemed to dwell deep within his soul.

As I listened to John Ortberg continue in his message I knew immediately that I wanted that same calm, gentle, joy-filled character to be evident in my life. I longed for the peace of God’s presence that Brother Lawrence experienced. Thankfully, John recommended a book,” The Practice of the Presence of God”, by Brother Lawrence. Right after the service I purchased the book, and dove into its content.

Thus began my adventure of practicing the presence of God. Quickly, I put into practice having conversations with God throughout my day. In the morning when my alarm went off I’d say, “Good morning, Lord.” I wanted God to be the first person I talked to. While putting on my make-up and doing my hair I’d talk to God about what the day had in store. Driving in the car I’d picture the Lord sitting in the passenger seat next to me. And so it went throughout the activities of my day until I would turn in for the night and say, “Good night, Lord”.  

The topic of God’s presence so intrigued me that it led me to search through scripture and read how different writers pictured the presence of God.  I especially loved how the Psalmists described it:

• Psalm 16:11 - You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
• Psalm 21:6 - Surely you have granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence.
• Psalm 31:20 - In the shelter of your presence you hide them from the intrigues of men; in your dwelling you keep them safe from accusing tongues.
• Psalm 89:15 - Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord.
• Psalm 90:8 - You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.
• Psalm 139:7 - Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

Over time I experienced exactly what the Psalmists described. Sometimes the presence of God was full of joy and peace deep within my being. Other times, when I was humble enough to invite God in, I experienced conviction of my sins. A few times I trembled thinking that God would never want to spend time with me and my angry, selfish attitude. Yet still, as I continued to practice the presence of God, I developed an intimate relationship with my Lord that words cannot describe. 

In the current schedule of my life I’ll admit there are parts of my day that are difficult for me to remember to practice the presence of God. It’s definitely not in the morning when I’m refreshed and have my quiet time with the Lord. It’s not as I drive in the car and listen to Christian music. It’s not during my work day…I recently started working part-time at Browns Bridge as the Men’s & Women’s Group Coordinator.  Elaine and I are teammates, so as you can imagine that time of my day is a joy and full of God’s presence.

The most difficult part of my day is from 3:00-5:30pm. The school bus comes and it’s game on. There are backpacks to go through, homework to complete, dinner to prepare, and football practice to get to. This is the time of day I need to practice the presence of God the most, but I’ll admit I often forget. And by forgetting I can easily take on an attitude of impatience and be quick to anger. Oh, how I need to practice the presence of God during this time, and imagine Jesus sitting at the table doing homework with us and driving in the car with us to football practice. What a difference it would make in my heart and most definitely in my words.

Reading the verses you are memorizing each month I know you to be women who practice the presence of God. Hiding God’s word in your heart is a wonderful way to remember Him and His ways. But I do need to ask, as your sister in Christ and knowing the benefits of experiencing God’s presence, if there are parts of your day where you need to be more mindful to practice the presence of God? Are there relationships causing you stress and creating a heart of worry, anger or even hate? Are you hiding something from God? Would your heart, words and actions be different in those situations if you imagined God sitting there with you? How would things change if you practiced the presence of God during those times?

Brother Lawrence’s book, “The Practice of the Presence of God” still sits on my nightstand after all these years. Every so often I pick it up and read words that continue to inspire me to be in God’s constant presence. May we all know and experience the depth of God’s presence, and may we be transformed deep within because we chose to be there.

My verse this time is from the list of Psalms above:

Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord. Psalm 89:15 (NIV)