Practicing the Presence of God

Genesis 5:24

Enoch walked with God;

"Enoch walked with God."  Good for old Enoch, but what about us?  Does it seem possible that at any given time that the ruler and creator of the universe would dial us up and invite us for a walk or we could dial Him and ask Him to join us for a walk?  In the flesh, it certainly seems impossible, perhaps even unimaginable.

While it all may seem illogical to us, it is absolutely within the plans that Almighty God has for each of us.  He is always ready to hear from us.  He is eager to come along side of us.  His line is always open.  The only issue is that to connect we have to be on the same line.  We can only get on the same line by disconnecting from all the other lines of distraction that we are dialed into.  A lot of work to be done there, but well worth the effort.  Spiritual truth awaits.

Let us be inspired by Nicolas Herman, an early 1600's gentleman who became a monk and took on the name of Brother Lawrence.  He later wrote the book, "The Practice of the Presence of God."  It seems that Brother Lawrence became known for the profound peace and joy in his life.  His demeanor became so well known that people of all walks began coming to him for spiritual guidance.  His conversations and his letters to those he communicated with became the basis for his book.

Brother Lawrence's secret was that he made devotion to the Lord part of every task, no matter how mundane. By his own admission, the process was difficult and tedious.  Even so, his perseverance paid off.  He gradually began to experience the presence of the Lord in all that he did.  Bottom line is that he treated all of his labor as sacred, as done unto the Lord, and as a result he walked with God each day.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for granting us the privilege to be alone in Your presence.  We praise You for making Your throne accessible to us.  We bless the name of Jesus for dying on the cross for us so that we are worthy to come before You.  We pray, Lord, that You would teach us how to shed the distractions of the world and make You the center of all that we do.  May we all learn to rejoice in complete comfort in Your sweet presence.  We ask all these things in the name of Our Ever Present Lord, Jesus Christ.