The Presence of God – He is With Us
The practice of the presence of God strengthens us in hope. Brother Lawrence
Years ago, a friend of mine was doing a bit of a clean-up of her house and wanted to get rid of some of her books. She brought them to church, and I randomly picked a few. One of them was a little book, or should I say, a little treasure, called “Practising The Presence of God” written by Brother Lawrence. Brother Lawrence was born in 1614 into a peasant family in France. As a teenager, he was dragged into the Thirty-Year War, where he suffered physical and emotional trauma. At the age of 26, he entered the Carmelite order in Paris, where he primarily worked in the kitchen and later, when he was unable to stand for long periods, as a shoemaker to the members of the monastic order.
During his time in the monastery, Brother Lawrence became increasingly mindful of the importance of being cognisant of God’s presence. He understood that God’s presence permeates everything – the atmosphere, our lives, our very being. He recognised and paid homage, as it were, to God’s omnipresence. He knew the importance of keeping our minds focused on God. This is what he says,
“Let it be your business to keep your mind in the presence of the Lord. Throughout your day, don’t let it wander too far so that you are accustomed to think of him often, you will find it easy to keep your mind calm in the time of prayer.“
Our Ever-Present Help in Time of Need
Brother Lawrence felt that no matter what we are busy with throughout the day, we should not allow our minds to wander too far from God. In all our daily activities, we are to factor God into them. When we are at work and dealing with a difficult colleague, when we come up against issues in our family, or when we are stressed out because we don’t know whether our salary will stretch until the next pay cheque, we can turn to God. We can turn to Him immediately because He is always there, present with us. As we turn to Him, He quiets our restless souls and gives us His peace. Isaiah 26:3 says,
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”
So as you face various challenges today, remember that God is present with you. He is your refuge and your strength. He is your ever-present help in time of need (Psalm 46:1).
We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade the presence of God. The world is crowded with Him. He walks everywhere incognito. C. S. Lewis
Reflection
Are you doubting whether God is present with you? Think about the attitude of Brother Lawrence’s heart regarding God’s presence with him.
Prayer
Thank You, Lord God, that You are an omnipresent God. Thank You for always being with me. Help me to reach out to You when I feel helpless, when I don’t know what to do. I pray for Your peace as I put my trust in You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
