Practicing the Presence of God

In recent weeks I’ve been asked more than a couple of times, how to surrender to God, when the wounds of life crush in on us. I believe it possible, with starts, spits and a few failures along the way, to arrive at a place where our confidence in God being with us rises to the point where we can not only endure in any trials or suffering we face, but thrive in the midst of them.

It is when we surrender to God, what belongs to Him (everything), that He reveals Himself to us, and gives what we need to thrive. Billy Graham said “Before you speak, is what you are going to say, True, Kind and does it give glory to God?” If you think about it, that takes a lot of surrendering on our part.

That powerful thought also echoes what C.S. Lewis told us about first and second things. First Things are those things that give God alone the glory, Second Things are everything else – some good, some not so good, but they all have self at the core. The Bible teaches that we are to strive toward First Things.

In the 17th century, Brother Laurence wrote about “Practicing the Presence of God” to guide him to those First Things. His singular focus was to do nothing without the acknowledging God’s presence with him. Quoting from his book: “That we should feed and nourish our souls with high notions of GOD; which would yield us great joy in being devoted to Him. I have endeavored to act only for Him; whatever becomes of me, whether I be lost or saved, I will always continue to act purely for the love of GOD. That in order to form a habit of conversing with GOD continually, and referring all we do to Him; we must at first apply to Him with some diligence: but that after a little care we should find His love inwardly excite us to it without any difficulty.”

Several times I’ve been asked — “how long must I do this to see what he saw?” “Three days, three weeks, three months?” My response is, to surrender so fully to God what you can and begin to do “this” forever, no matter the outcome of the trial and suffering.

If we begin today to do it for God alone, in the days to follow it will become a joy as we live out 1 Peter 2:19-20, even as Brother Lawrence discovered. (Watch the movie “FireProof” as a good illustration of how one man moved from Second Things (self centered) to First Things.)

For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. 1 Peter 2:19-20

Start with a change in thinking — from looking at what is wrong, to seeking and seeing God in everything. We do this best when we begin to marinate our mind with Bible verses that help us rise from the guttered thoughts of the world, to those hopeful things bathed in the comforting warmth of the presence of Christ, who is always with us.

In the 19th century Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: Sew a thought reap an action, sew an action reap a habit, sew a habit reap a character, sew a character reap a destiny. I’m pretty sure the destiny we are all seeking is to hear “Well done My good and faithful servant” from God and others, so as we fill our minds with God’s promises and words of hope and action, we practice His presence in our day and our destiny over time becomes more Christlike as our character changes because of new habits.

When he entered the monastery Brother Lawrence, was assigned to the kitchen, apparently he hated even the thought of kitchen duty, but by applying his focus upon God’s presence, and no doubt filling his mind with the Word of God, he found the 15 years he was in the kitchen to be all joy, as he worked there solely to glorify God in his work.

We are called, no, commanded in the Great Commandment – To love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as (we already do) ourselves. Mark 12:30-31

While our transformation to godliness is a process that will take until we are ready for heaven, it is one of sweet joy, not angst, and it fills our day with a smile in our heart instead of a sourness. With this joy, I believe God can use us to infect the whole church, and community.