Do you want to know the art of practicing the presence of God? Are you trying but not seeing a breakthrough. To learn how to enjoy God’s presence is possible but there are three important keys to get a breakthrough on this journey. I learned them from Brother Lawrence’s own writings and from Scripture.
Brother Lawrence’s breakthrough
Brother Lawrence, who learned how to practice the presence of God tells how it all started for him: he saw leaves falling off a tree in winter and understood that all would be renewed in spring and the fruit would come. This sounds like such a simple observation. However he said it gave him such a revelation of God’s power and providence that it “set me completely loose from the world and kindled in me such a love for God”. For 14 years I never understood this testimony. Only now has God made it clear.
Brother Lawrence had a revelation of the grace of God so profound that he was able to thereafter live in a radical way. He then gave up the world and instead gave his all for the love of God. So naturally there was no inhibition now to an experience of the fullness of God. Let me expand on this.
Three radical decisions for a breakthrough
To see a breakthrough in practicing the presence of God we need to make three decisions:
Firstly, to lose ALL excess weight of worldly interests and worldly thinking. We are often weighed down by too much ‘excess baggage’ in the race of faith and put up with worldliness and sin in many areas due to lack of faith.
NO MORE! It is necessary to make a decision to exercise our faith to improve in ALL AREAS. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live. The life I live I live by faith in the Son of God.” If we put up with worldliness in just one area it will act as a barrier to practicing the presence of God.
Secondly, to make the love of God our main pursuit. Brother Lawrence made it his only pursuit and said that he did everything for the love of God. Our motives for pursuing God are vital to get right and not to be about pursuing first His blessings. It is like making a best friend and spending the whole time just asking him for things and to do things for you. This does not make for a good friendship. But we often treat God like this.
It is easy to fall into this trap. See blog on “Job Bible story: it isn’t about suffering but about the most important choice we need to make“
Thirdly, to believe the grace of God is more than sufficient to succeed in both the decisions above. Do we really act on God’s words in Phil 4: “My grace is sufficient for all your needs”. Often we know this in our heads but it has not really impacted our hearts. It needs revelation. If we don’t have this revelation we need to pursue God for it until we receive it.
The change in road view
When we begin the journey of practicing the presence of God with these 3 decisions behind us, the view from the road takes a new appearance. It’s the most beautiful, glorious, captivating view and we’ve not even reached the end yet!
It is clearer and so much brighter than before and we no longer get side-tracked down some other path off the main road, because the way is so clear and captivating ahead.
I’m convinced that it’s the normal Christian path for us all!