I have always loved The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. If you have not read it, read it!! It will remind you of all that really matters. He speaks to this idea of being in God's presence all day long, no matter what your task, your circumstance, or mood. To find solace in His presence, to talk with Him throughout each day...to think of Him and recall His faithful acts on our behalf. I want to share one quote here on this blog for anyone who reads...and quite frankly for my own soul to hear once again:
I think that freeing yourself of your present responsibilities for a while and devoting yourself entirely to prayer would be the best thing you could do for yourself. God does not ask much of us. But remembering Him, praising Him, asking for His grace, offering Him your troubles, or thanking Him for what He has given you will console you all the time.
Now as far as setting aside all responsibilities, I am not sure what that looks like or how to do that and still be responsible and care for our jobs and our families...but I get the point: be in communion with Him all the time. So here is a final thought: We must be near to Him, around Him, knowing Him in order to truly connect with Him. Lawrence goes on to say:
We have to know someone before we can truly love them. In order to know God, we must
think about Him often. And once we get to know Him, we will think about Him even more
often, because where our treasure is, there also is our heart!
So today my challenge to myself and to you is...be in His amazing presence, know His healing and His favor, His kindness and His peace, know His grace and constant mercy...recall His faithful deeds and soak in His gaze. Remember His character, and count on His track record...this is the realm of reality, this is where we are meant to live, this is our true home....for here on earth we are just strangers.
