Practice of Presence of God Paperback – 1 Jan. 1999

A humble seventeenth-century French Carmelite monk speaks across the centuries and his message is so simple and profound - the essence being to remember and practice the presence of God in everything you see and do with purity of heart. Father Lawrence led a cloistered life and much of it in the monastery's kitchen but whatever he was doing he offered it up and remembered his creator. As he moved about his humble daily activities he withdrew within the secret place of the soul to commune with God with simplicity and purity of heart. This he says is the way to forget the worldly self which causes the human being distress. Everything he did - even the smallest act - was done for the love of God showing that the divine presence is even in the little things of life ( c.f. Therese of Lisieux). He offered up everything.He does warn that when we enter into the spiritual life we may at first encounter all sorts of afflictions and distress as we work on discovering who we are in the depths of our being. We will find there countless thoughts, habits and past deeds that we are ashamed of and as a result might go through trials and tribulations realising that we are totally unworthy of such infinite love that the creator wishes to bestow on us. Brother Lawrence suggests that God often puts us through this chastening in order to purify us and that we should look at such suffering as a means to growth and transformation rather than wallow in self-pity. Brother Lawrence urges us to call on aid from God to persevere in the discipline of probing the depths of who we are whilst also recollecting the divine presence in everything good or bad that happens in the circumstances of life. We need to proceed with faith and if we should do so Brother Lawrence says that we attract God's grace.That is the basic message of this short book of 100 pages but it is a very powerful one that is worth continual reflection. I recommend this book to all those who may have started the practice of centering prayer. Brother Lawrence takes it further and shows that dwelling quietly in the Presence is not just something we do on the meditation cushion or church pew but in everything we do. In modern day parlance this way of being within action is called 'mindfulness' of the present moment. The difference is subtle and profound in that we are mindful of Christ's spirit and God's infinite love.Meditating on Brother Lawrence's words is a helpful practice. Take for example: 'we give ourselves a world of trouble and pursue a multitude of practices to attain to a sense of the Presence of God. And yet it is so simple. How very much shorter it is and easier to do our common business purely for the love of God, to set His consecrating mark on all we lay our hands to, and thereby foster the sense of His abiding Presence by communion of our heart with His! There is no need either of art or science; just as we are, we can go to Him, simply and with single heart.' (page 62)

I went through a lot of reviews and downloaded some of the free Kindle editions before finally selecting this one.It's easy to say Brother Lawrence is an excellent spiritual guide. I assume that you're only looking for a copy because you already know this. So what you want is to know which version to read. And it appears that they aren't all equal - some, it even appears, have letters merged, and perhaps messages that aren't to the editor's taste, simply removed. If I'm reading Brother Lawrence, I may not be capable of reading Medieval French, but I'd like it to be as true to the original as possible.That's where this edition comes in. From my limited knowledge, it is true to the original with nothing added and nothing taken away. It includes the notes of the conversations (which is where we get the background to the whole of Br Lawrence's spiritual life), the letters (the letters are great, but each is so specific that you need a context - that's where the conversations come in), and the Spiritual Maxims (of themselves a little too metaphorical, but after you've read the conversations and the letters then they make sense).I would recommend this edition, and I'll be happy to discuss if you disagree with me, and to read other editions that you recommend. If anyone has a facsimilie in the Medieval French I'd be happy to look at that too!

This book is excellent. Instead of being a modern book on prayer that tells you how to pray more effectively, it is more of a reflection on living the whole of life in the mindful knowledge of Gods presence. It is an encouragement to live like this through challenging and difficult circumstances as well as in the positives through the reflections of the author. The slightly archaic english only seems to enhance the slight sense of otherness you get from this book. It inspired me to think of prayer as not only something done in prayer times at specific points in a day but as a constant communication. A very interesting and enjoyable and encouraging book.

4 star because of the language used in the book. I understand this book was written in 17 century, yet, i think the translation could use a bot more modern language. However, it does not take away any greatness of this little book, that how Brother Lawrence share how do we live with our Lord in a daily life. Thank you!

About a year ago someone recommended this little book to me for my own personal need to be closer to God. I found it very useful in its simplicity and practicality in helping me to be open to the Presence of God in my life. I gave copies to some of my companions in our Religious Community as a present for Christmas, hoping that they will receive as much from it as I have.G Cunningham

If you are a Christian you should read this book. Its from a lowly monk, who had a deep connection with God, and his thoughts are very helpful to us today, or to people of any time. If you want to get to know God better, this book may well be what you've been looking for.

This book provides a practical perspective of the practice of the daily Christian life reflecting the likeness of Christ with the consciousness of God's presence with us daily in everything we do and in every place

Excellent book worth reading and applying to your life! Will help you in your walk with God!