How To Practice The Presence of God
Since prayer, in its essence, is the act of communing with God, why should it be limited to a meager time in the morning or evening? God does not mean for us to come to Him with flowery language or memorized verses. He wants to really communicate with us as Abba, our heavenly father, Jesus our Redeemer, and as a best friend. He wants us to rely on Him. While it is true that we should be respectful in our approach, this is not to say that we should be regimented. Building a relationship with God means we should be able to freely share our feelings, wants and needs with Him. If we are upset at an answer or what we perceive as the lack of an answer, we should be able to express our frustration and anger just as David did.
Think of it this way, a parent demands respect from his or her child. The parent; however, still wants the child to be able to come to him or her. Parents and children fight, laugh, and weep together. We are sons and daughters of God: joint heirs with Jesus. We should be able to laugh, weep, and yes, even express anger and disagreement with our heavenly father. If we do so respectfully, He will patiently and lovingly instruct us and guide us through the Holy Spirit.
Brother Lawrence, born Nicholas Herman in 1605, was an expert at living a life full of prayer. In his book, The Practice Of The Presence of God, he explains that he does not turn to his fellow man for the answer to a problem, to gossip or for advice. Rather, God is the only source he looks to for answers, comfort, and guidance. When he has something exciting to share, God is who he runs to. The premise of Brother Lawrence’s writings was that every moment of our lives should be prayer. We should eschew thoughts of a worldly nature and concentrate of performing our daily activities out of devotion to our Lord. Throughout the day, we should be in conversation with God. With time and practice, our thoughts will no longer stray to worldly concerns and our relationship with God will deepen. The little bit of time at night and during the morning that most people devote to spending in prayer should be a time of silent meditation to feel and bask in the presence of God.
Several translations of the book exist. The review copy from Whitaker House was purchased by the reviewer. The book is available at online retailers such as www.amazon.com
Think of it this way, a parent demands respect from his or her child. The parent; however, still wants the child to be able to come to him or her. Parents and children fight, laugh, and weep together. We are sons and daughters of God: joint heirs with Jesus. We should be able to laugh, weep, and yes, even express anger and disagreement with our heavenly father. If we do so respectfully, He will patiently and lovingly instruct us and guide us through the Holy Spirit.
Brother Lawrence, born Nicholas Herman in 1605, was an expert at living a life full of prayer. In his book, The Practice Of The Presence of God, he explains that he does not turn to his fellow man for the answer to a problem, to gossip or for advice. Rather, God is the only source he looks to for answers, comfort, and guidance. When he has something exciting to share, God is who he runs to. The premise of Brother Lawrence’s writings was that every moment of our lives should be prayer. We should eschew thoughts of a worldly nature and concentrate of performing our daily activities out of devotion to our Lord. Throughout the day, we should be in conversation with God. With time and practice, our thoughts will no longer stray to worldly concerns and our relationship with God will deepen. The little bit of time at night and during the morning that most people devote to spending in prayer should be a time of silent meditation to feel and bask in the presence of God.
Several translations of the book exist. The review copy from Whitaker House was purchased by the reviewer. The book is available at online retailers such as www.amazon.com