The Book - Practicing His Presence by Brother Lawrence & Frank Laubach
Note on the text: This version is an edited and modernized version by Gene Edwards and includes Frank Laubach’s Letters by a Modern Mystic, his The Game With Minutes, and Brother Lawrence’s 1692 book, The Practice of the Presence of God.
For the 2011-2012 school year, I worked at a preschool in Kodiak, Alaska. I remember how hard that year was since I was sick 90% of the time (moving from practically a desert to a temperate rainforest does that), and I was homesick (not unusual). But looking back, those are not the things that come to mind first.
Rather, I remember driving the school van to go park at the pullout on Dead Man’s Curve and looking out over the ocean. The clouds formed a perfect circle while sea and sky were nearly indistinguishable at the horizon.
I remember hiking through the forest and seeing moss hang like green curtains from tree boughs.
I remember the coffee shop out on the flats where I could get a drink, listen to a friend play her guitar, and see the bears in the distance (sometimes the not-too-far distance).
I remember the mist that fell nearly constantly, if it wasn’t outright raining or snowing.
A few years before that, George Strait released a song called “I Saw God Today.” Part of it goes like this:
“I've been to church
I've read the book
I know He's here
But I don't look
Near as often as I should
Yeah, I know I should
His fingerprints are everywhere
I just slow down to stop and stare
Open my eyes and man I swear
I saw God today”
This song and my memories remind me of the God-moments I experienced frequently that year. The thing was…I was paying attention. My good friend from college was also in her first year of teaching and also far from the familiar. We had our share of unique struggles. One of the ways we were intentional about staying in contact was to read books and talk about them every week. That year we found Ann Voskamp’s 1000 Gifts, and we started counting our gifts.
While not the same as Brother Lawrence or Frank Laubach’s “Practicing His Presence,” it is in that realm. I went looking for God in the regular, ordinary moments that make up any given day. And guess what? I found Him.
I believe this is the reason why I look back on what was truly a hard year and remember the blessings, the goodness, and the joy of that time.
To practice the presence of God means to continually draw Him back to mind and try to hold Him there as often as possible throughout the day. I use the text from Brother Lawrence’s book below, but I’ll sum it up as best I can here.
He would start his day by filling his mind with the things of God, focusing on who He is. Brother Lawrence would then go to work—he worked in the kitchen of his religious community—where he would proceed with his daily tasks while continuing in prayer. He prayed for God’s assistance in not only doing his daily work but also in continuing in God’s presence. At the end of each day, Brother Lawrence would examine his own work and would offer thanks or ask forgiveness as needed. What I particularly love about this is that if things went south, Brother Lawrence would not get hung up on it, but would simply realign himself with God and continue his practice.
Frank Laubach did his own version of this practice, starting in the 1930s. What I appreciate about his telling of it is that he is very open about his struggles with remaining in God’s presence. It took time, intentionality, and a daily commitment.
Both men began their days in time with God, which helped them focus on God for the rest of the day. However, in the minute-by-minute experiences of the day, they had to be intentional about bringing their focus back to God. They often failed, but what sets them apart from others is that they never let failure keep them from God; instead, they used it to recenter themselves on God.
I’ll end by encouraging you to consider how you could spend even five more minutes in God's presence today. I think I’ll go dust off my list of 1000 gifts and give that another go, especially during my workday
A Practice - Practicing His Presence
I’ll borrow from Brother Lawrence for this one:
“When he had filled his mind, through prayer, with great sentiments of divine Being, he went to his appointed work in the kitchen…There he first considered carefully the things that his office required, when and how each thing was to be done. He then spent all the intervals of his time, and before and after his work, in prayer.
“When he began his business he said to God, with a filial trust in Him: ‘Oh my God, since You are with me, and I must now, in obedience to Your commands, apply my mind to these outward things, I ask You to grant me the grace to continue in Your presence. To this end make me prosper through Your assistance. Receive all my works, and possess all my affections.’
“He proceeded in his work each day, continuing his familiar conversation with his Maker, imploring the Lord for his grace, and offering to the Lord all his actions.
“When Brother Lawrence had finished, he examined how he had discharged his duties. If he found he had done well, he returned thanks to God; if he found otherwise, he asked pardon, and without being discouraged he set his mind right again. He then continued his exercise of the presence of God as if he had never deviated from it.” (102)
Frank Laubach encourages us in this practice when he writes, “Spending time with the Lord is not a grim duty. And if you should forget Him for minutes or even days, do not groan or repent, but begin anew with a smile. Every minute can be a fresh beginning” (37).
