Quotes from Brother Lawrence

God alone is capable of making Himself known as He really is; we search in reasoning and in the sciences, as in a poor copy, for what we neglect to see in an excellent original. God Himself paints Himself in the depths of our souls. We must enliven our faith and elevate ourselves by means of the faith, above all our feelings, to adore God the Father and Jesus Christ in all their divine perfections.

The prayer time was really taken at both the beginning and the end of my work. At the beginning of my duties, I would say to the Lord with confidence,

"My God, since you are with me and since, by Your will, I must occupy myself with external things, please grant me the grace to remain with You, in Your presence. Work with me, so that my work might be the very best. Receive as an offering of love both my work and all my affections."

During my work, I would always continue to speak to the Lord as though He were right with me, offering Him my services and thanking Him for His assistance. Also, at the end of my work, I used to examine it carefully. If I found good in it, I thanked God. If I noticed faults, I asked His forgiveness without being discouraged, and then went on with my work, still dwelling in Him. Thus, continuing in the practice of conversing with God throughout each day and quickly seeking His forgiveness when I fell or strayed, His presence has become as easy and natural to me now as it once was difficult to maintain.

Brother Lawrence writes to me

Dear friend,

We have a God who is infinitely good and who knows what He is doing. He will come and deliver you from your present trouble in His perfect time and when you may least expect it. Hope in Him more than ever. Thank Him for the strength and patience He is giving you, even in the midst of this trial, for it is an evident mark of His concern for you. Encourage yourself with His love and thank Him for everything.

Brother Lawrence

Heavenly Father, You have been teaching me lots of patience. I've been waiting for a new job for a LONG time. I know it will come at the perfect time because You have promised it to me. However, I am growing weary in this wait. Please give me the strength I need to wait. Please give me the wisdom I need to recognize the job you want me to have. I know where I want to work, but if You have other plans for me, please make them clear. Close the doors I don't need to walk through and PLEASE open the doors I need to walk through (SOON). I love you. In Jesus' Name I Pray. Amen.

Quotes from "The Practice of the Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence - Part 4

Spending time in God's presence doesn't weaken the body. Leaving the seemingly innocent and permissible pleasures of the world for a time will, on the contrary, give us comfort. In fact, God won't allow a soul that is searching for Him to be comforted anywhere other than with Him. Hence, it makes sense to sacrifice ourselves for some time in His presence.

It isn't necessary that we stay in church in order to remain in God's presence. We can make our hearts personal chapels where we can enter anytime to talk to God privately. These conversations can be so loving and gentle, and anyone can have them.

Is there any reason not to begin? He may be waiting for us to take the first step. Because we have such a short time to live, we should spend our remaining time with God. Even suffering will be easier when we are with Him, but without Him, even the greatest pleasures will be joyless.

I am sure my soul has been with God for more than thirty years. I consider God my King, against whom I've committed all sorts of crimes. Confessing my sins to Him and asking Him to forgive me, I place myself in His hands to do whatever He please with me. This King, who is full of goodness and mercy, doesn't punish me. Rather, He embraces me lovingly and invites me to eat at His table. He serves me Himself and gives me the keys to His treasury, treating me as His favorite. He converses with me without mentioning either my sins or His forgiveness. My former habits are seemingly forgotten. Although I beg Him to do whatever He wishes with me. He does nothing but caress me. This is what being in His holy presence is like.

Sometimes I imagine that I'm a piece of stone, waiting for the sculptor. When I give myself to God this way, He begins sculpting my soul into the perfect image of His beloved Son.

Quotes from "The Practice of the Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence - Part 3

When we are in doubt, he continued, God never fails to show us the right way to go, as long as our only goal is to please Him and show our love for Him.

He said that our sanctification does not depend as much on changing our activities as it does on doing them for God rather than for ourselves.

Our actions should unite us with God when we are involved in our daily activities, just as our prayers unite us with Him in our quiet devotions.

Never tire of doing even the smallest things for Him, because He isn't impressed so much with the dimensions or our work as with the love in which it is done.

He said that in order to be sure we are doing God's will, we should simply develop an attitude of faith, hope, and love. We need not be concerned about anything else.

Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. Still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues.

We should rejoice in our difficulties, bearing them as long as the Lord wills, because only through such trials will our faith become purified, more precious than gold.

If I were a preacher, I would preach nothing but practicing the presence of God. If I were to be responsible for guiding souls in the right direction, I would urge everyone to be aware of God's contant presence, if for no other reason than because His presence is a delight to our souls and spirits.

If we only knew how much we need God's grace, we would never lose touch with Him. Believe me. Make a commitment never to deliberately stray from Him, to live the rest of your life in His holy presence. Don't do this in expectation of receiving heavenly comforts; simply do it out of love for Him.

Quotes from "The Practice of the Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence - Part 2

He continued that if someone surrenders himself entirely to God, resolving to do anything for Him, the Lord will protect that person from deception.

If he felt any ungracious thought or any temptation generating, he would not panic or feel helpless to resist it. This was because his past experience of God's faithful assistance allowed him to wait until just the right moment to call out. When the time came, he would address himself to God, and the evil thoughts would vanish right away.

Before he had experienced God's swift help in his affairs, he had attempted to plan every detail, doing the job in his own strength. Now, though, acting with childlike simplicity in God's sight, he did everything for the love of God, thanking Him for His guidance. Everything he did passed calmly, in a way that held him close to the loving presence of God.

Brother Lawrence wasn't afraid of anything. He added that he wasn't afraid of dying to self or losing himself in Christ, because complete surrender to God's will is the only secure road to follow. In it, there is always enough light to assure safe travel.

If difficulties arise, simply turn to Jesus Christ and pray for His grace, with which everything will become easy.

Neither skill nor knowledge is needed to go to God, he added. All that is necessary is a heart dedicated entirely and solely to Him out of love for Him above all others.

Quotes from "The Practice of the Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence - Part 1

Our only happiness should come from doing God's will, whether it brings us some pain or great pleasure. After all, if we are truly devoted to doing God's will, pain and pleasure won't make any difference to us.

We also need to b faithful, even in dry periods. It is during those dry spells that God tests our love for Him. We should take advantage of those times to practice our determination and our surrender to Him. This will often bring us to a maturity further on in our walk with God.

Whenever he considered doing some good deed, he always consulted God about it, saying, "Lord, I will never be able to do that if You don't help me." Immediately he would be given more than enough strength.

When he sinned, he confessed it to God with these words: "I can do nothing better without You. Please keep me from falling and correct the mistakes I make." After that, he did not feel quilty about the sin.

He remarked that thinking often spoils everything and that evil usually begins with our thoughts. In Brother Lawrence's opinion, we should reject any thoughts that distract us from serving the Lord or that undermine our salvation. Freeing the mind of such thoughts permits a comfortable conversation with God...