Besides conversations recorded by others, Brother Lawrence also connected with friends via letters. Some of these have been included in the book, The Practice of the Presence of God. Below is the essence of his third letter—a short one—and responses that come to my mind.
THIRD LETTER
Concepts:
* God is infinitely gracious
* He knows all our wants
* He comes in His own time, often unexpectedly
* He does favors for us (such as giving us our every breath, sez Jan)
* He cares for us
* He allows/sends affliction and suffering in order to teach us
* He welcomes our prayers, whether short or long
* He is our comfort
Our Responses:
* Accept who God is (and don’t remake Him in our likeness)
* Hope in Him
* Accept His will for our lives (God does what He does; read the book of Job)
* Learn from the difficulties and trials that come our way
* Accept that trials are part of life and we shouldn’t run from them
* Accept God’s timing
* Pray continuously, in all times and circumstances
* Be thankful in all things and at all times
* Think of Him often
* Practice the presence of God
Jan, I love your list of responses, and especially the reminder to pray at all times–something I need reminding about (and was reminded about in someone else’s blog today as well, specifically for us writers about praying for our readers). Thanks for that!
Monk Lawrence promoted a contemplative approach to spirituality, with the PRIME discipline being the seeking out of God’s presence through the ordinary of life.
Now, on the one hand, this actually appeals greatly to me–that I can worship through all that I do in word or deed (Col. 3: 17, 23). This biblical promise kept me sane when I had my daily life consumed by childrearing/homeschooling and was just glad when I could get my floor swept (to the glory of God, of course)! And it soothes me now, when I think of the hours and hours I spend at the computer daily, writing words I don’t know will ever be published; I love the idea that God finds favour in my hunkering down all alone out here in the countryside (even I, as an extrovert, love the peace of the wind, the rain, and even the lack of people), especially as I’m immersed in emotional fiction writing.
BUT then I recall the story of Martha and Mary (Luke 10), where Jesus specifically said that the daily chores of life (even in His service) are NOT better than sitting at Jesus’ feet absorbed in His teachings. Since He’s no longer here in the flesh, I take this “sitting at Jesus’ feet” to mean studying what His Word says–the propositional truths or “basic principles” of the Bible that give me the head knowledge I need to grow in faith and become like Jesus (having my senses changed to discern good from evil; Heb. 5:12-14).
Maybe it’s a balancing act–head and hands equally occupied? But then, what about Jesus’ words that one was “better” than the other? Brother Lawrence doesn’t seem to me to give the Bible PRIME position over personal experiences of closeness in feeling God’s presence. I mean, I long as much as anyone for the sense of God’s presence, but I’ve come to find that I can’t get this through attitude alone. It takes serious head knowledge! (This position is not much liked today–though I know how much YOU, Jan, love the Word of God.)
Just my thoughts. Thanks for posting this morning so I could struggle a bit with this! I hope other of your readers will add to this discussion.
So appreciate your comment, Deb, and the fact that you actually read this post. Your words are, as usual, eloquent but clear. Your ideas bring me back to what I was thinking when I wrote this blog, and yes, it all comes back to living in the presence of God in the ordinary days of our lives. While we may be ordinary, our God is not. Extraordinary, supreme, almighty, compassionate, and the list goes on.
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