Is it possible at all to enjoy the constant
presence of God, the Almighty, the Maker of heavens and earth? Or is it
something that we can enjoy only if we manage to reach heavens after death? Is
it possible to sense that nearness to God on earth itself and in this human
life? Does the Almighty stoop down so low to come near us, mere humans?
These
are the questions that rankle my mind and I am sure it does yours also.
At least one Saint who goes by the name
Brother Lawrence, who lived in the Seventeenth century in France, seemed to
think so. He was born around 1610 in Herimenil, France. He was converted to Christ
at the age of 18. He fought in the Thirty Years War, which left him maimed for
life, with injury to his sciatic nerve. I myself am suffering from sciatica and
I know how it debilitates a person!
He lived for a few years in the
wilderness like one of the early Desert Fathers. After a brief stint as a civil servant, he
entered the monastery. He was a cook in a newly formed monastery in Paris for
some time and served the community of some hundred monks. After fifteen years
of this he was shifted to the sandal repair shop in the same monastery. He was a
simple and humble soul.
Br. Lawrence, in his walk with God,
discovered a simple and uncomplicated way to walk continuously in God’s
presence, which he practiced for some forty years of his life on this earth. He
died in 1691. After his death, some of his letters were collected and
published. Some four interviews held with him by the then representative to the
local Archbishop, Joseph de Beaufort, were attached to it and published later.
Brother Lawrence established the
practice of continually conversing with God, which helped create the sense of
God’s presence. In this endeavour, he resolved to make the love of God the end
of all his actions, whether cooking or mending the shoes of the inmates of the monastery.
When thoughts of his previous sins
plagued him, Br. Lawrence simply wowed to himself, whether he is lost or saved,
he will always continue to act purely for the love of God. This he did and this
attitude brought peace and joy to his tormented soul.
Not that he was beyond
discouragement. But he would, in the beginnings, force himself to get into this
habit of conversing with God continually and referring all he did to Him. Including
his worries. Well, this habit of continually talking to God evolved into a type
of prayer, called “Breath Prayer.”
Breath prayer is the ancient
Christian prayer practice dating back to 3rd century. The Desert
Fathers in Egypt, in 3rd and 4th centuries, developed a
short prayer, which later came to be known as the “Jesus Prayer,’ which is to
repeat the prayer, “Lord have mercy,” based on from Psalm123:3 and Luke 18:13,38. This,
of course was practiced more by the Eastern Churches like the Russian and Greek
Orthodox churches.
This sort of short prayers, which are
constantly said, not aloud, but silently in the heart and mind, elevate our
conscious mind to the presence of God. It is based on Paul’s exhortation to “Pray
without ceasing,” 1 Thes.5:17. When attention wanders, we gently bring it back
to the prayer. This can be done anytime, anywhere, times when we are not
occupied mentally in doing any work.
While we are resting or when we are
having our morning walk or treadmill workout or jog or when we are cooking or
cleaning the house or the car or any such mechanical works, we can silently do
this type of prayer. It is an acknowledgement that we are in God’s presence all
the time. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.” It also reminds
us that “In God we live and move and have our being.” Acts 17:28.
Another thing Br. Lawrence did was to
refer all he did to God. Paul recommends this in Colossians 3:17, “whatever you
do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the
Father through Him.” In whatever he did he tried to please God, including
buying vegetables for the day’s cooking! He further advises that we need to
tell God our failings and seek His forgiveness, guidance and strength.
In such conversation with God, Br.
Lawrence besought to praise, adore and love God incessantly for His infinite
goodness and perfection. Our daily duties, we need to surrender to the Lord and
simply pray, “Let Thy will be done.” Of course, Br. Lawrence renounced everything
for the love of Jesus and ‘began to live as if there was none but He and I in
the world.’[1]
He further said, that in all timers, ‘I
drove from my mind everything that interrupted thoughts of God.’[2]
By often repeating short prayers, they become habitual and the presence of God
becomes quite natural to us, he says.
He describes, “it is a habitual,
silent, and private conversation of the soul with God.” This gave him joy and
contentment. To him it was a small but holy exercise, repeating little internal
adorations all through the day. For people facing life’s storms he advises, “Take
courage. Offer Him your pain and pray to Him for strength to endure them.”[3]
“Stay with God always for He is the only support and comfort for your
affliction.”[4]
What a source of comfort! What a way
to cultivate the presence of God! I have taken the verse John 15:4, “Abide in
Me and I in you,” and I repeat it to heart’s content, as I drive or cook or
when all sorts of annoying and unnecessary thoughts come to my mind. Oh, what
peace and joy soon pervade my being and I simply thank the Lord for this grace
of His.
One final clarification, it is not a
mantra to be repeated, nor a vain repetition against which Jesus warned his
disciples in Matthew 6:7, or an incantation or focusing on the breathing, or
clearing of the mind or for merging with the spirit world, as in Eastern religious
meditation or in Yoga.
The purpose is not to become one with
God, but to simply lift our minds and hearts to God gratefully in everything we
do.
It is a constant prayer to the Lord
Jesus Christ.
This really brings us to the presence
of God all the time, even when we live in this earth as human beings.
Won’t you give it a try?
God bless you and your strivings to
have a close walk with Him.
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