The Divine Connection: Practicing the Presence of God

“The time of business does not differ from the time of prayer?”( The Practice of the Presence of God, First Conversation). What exactly does this mean? In the spiritual classic, “The Practice of the Presence of God,” Brother Lawrence beautifully unpacks the wisdom of Christ’s command to pray unceasingly. He explains that when in a constant state of conversation and communion with God which every soul is called to, we experience a taste of Heaven on earth. The spiritual benefits of this practice of continuous recollection exceed all values. But if this gift truly is attainable by all, what stops us from achieving it?

A common complaint of many Christians with God is that they don’t always feel His Presence. At times, It feels like He is so close that we can reach out and touch Him, and other times we feel like we’ve been abandoned. Sometimes God indeed removes the feeling of His Presence so that we may be purified, but many times we lose the sensation because we’ve allowed ourselves to become distracted by the world or because we place an insufficient amount of effort trying to stay focused on Him.

We live in a time that is the least conducive to a state of recollection than in all of history. Partly, this is because every aspect of our lives is monetized for profit by one company or another. It’s common knowledge that every detail of our lives is studied, collected, and then bought and paid for by companies to advertise to us more efficiently. We are no match for the algorithms and artificial intelligence, which sole purpose is to learn us better than we know ourselves so that we remain distracted and numb to their attempts to feed off our attention.

This is undoubtedly a bleak reality of the current world. It’s no wonder that anxiety, feeling unfilled, and engaging in a dry spiritual life are the consequences we face in such a distracted and busy world. Still, there are ways we can fight this hypnotization of the world and replace the dust and ash the world offers us with the treasure of spiritual benefits the Lord provides us through practicing a constant state of conversation and awareness of His Presence. Let’s explore experiencing the world as God intended by fostering a keen sense of His Presence in our day-to-day lives.

Finding joy and fulfillment in the Presence of God

At each moment of our existence, the Lord offers each one of us something invaluable, His friendship. He is always there at every moment. He is always there, trying to remind us of His Presence and vying for our attention. The majority of our troubles come from forgetting this fact. And focusing on remembering Him is nothing more than accepting His gift of friendship at every moment and beginning a relationship based on love instead of need.

When we focus on accepting this gift of His Presence, we start to live and experience the world as God intended. God wants us to think of Him when we experience the created world because He thought of us in creating everything. While with Him, He allows us to see the true meaning of the world, and in this wisdom, we feel His Love always. Our whole life experience becomes a conversation between a loving Father and His child. This new Love within us gives way to an entirely new life.

In the awareness of God’s love, we become irradiated with all that comes with profound love. We begin to view His Providence in a new way. We know God’s Love with familiarity, and in this, we start to trust in His providence because we know He would not permit something that wasn’t for our good. The strength of our sufferings, anxieties, and troubles begins to fade as we see the Lord purifying us with them, as fire purifies a precious metal. As we face these challenges and sufferings with new vigor and resignation to His Will, we are transformed and conformed to the Image of His Son.

In this, Divine peace enters our soul. In this, we experience contentment and joy preordained for us before the beginning of time. 

We are no longer strangers to this Presence; the resilience and strength emanating from His Essence propels us toward the highest levels of sanctity. This spiritual practice is no small “devotion” or practice. It can’t be likened to anything else. It is THE spiritual practice because it is life as God intended, life at his side.

How to begin the Practice of the Presence of God

When hearing the description, the typical assumption is that this is most likely the stuff of spiritual giants, and undertaking it takes enormous strength and attention. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The Lord knows our poverty and weakness and is aware that nothing he plans to give can rely upon our strength because we have no power that does not first come from him. The Devil is the one who tries to convince us that we must rely on our strength. All that He wants is for you to ask for it with sincerity and firm resolve. 

As said, we must first place our desire in the hands of Christ. Trust me; there is no more pleasing a request He can hear than for His Child always to ask to be with him. In this, we adhere to the words from James 4:10, ” humble yourself before the Lord, and He will exalt you.”

Next, we must ask for the grace to be mindful of His Presence in our day-to-day. Instead of running on autopilot or jumping from distraction, it’s essential from time to time to pause and reground ourselves in reality. Think to yourself; I am living a life given to me as a pure gift. Become aware of all that is utterly delightful, the sound of the birds, the vibrant colors surrounding you, or the friends and family you have; all the blessings in your life. Then take these blessings and approach God in gratitude. With this practice, we remove ourselves from the mundane and reorder the Giver of the gifts as the focal point in our lives.

It is also beneficial that when we experience organic feelings of love towards God, we rest in them rather than delight in them and let them pass by.

Also, it is essential to be grounded in humility. Our weakness and need for God to prop fortify us with His grace must not be forgotten. When first engaging in this practice, the mind will frequently become distracted by what it previously would be occupied with during the day. This is no reason to worry as God understands our intent and delights in us, frequently coming to Him and asking for His help to fight distracted and remain recollected in the thought of Him. Again, God understands our weaknesses, and His biggest desire is that we do not become anxious from our many failures. When we recognize we are distracted, simply give it no other thought than a redirection toward the Lord.

While It’s impossible to be in active prayer all day, it is crucial to keep a certain amount of time at a particular time, preferably in the morning, dedicated to the Lord. During this prayer time, it is crucial to have a structure but not have our adherence to the structure be so rigid that we may unintentionally be denying the Lord to follow him where He wants us to go during our time with Him. Don’t be afraid to spend extra time if we feel especially close to him during the rosary. If we hear his voice in scripture or other spiritual reading, don’t feel that you need to stick to your usual 15-minute schedule to have time to practice the other devotionals you engage in during this time. As we begin to let the Lord lead our prayer, we can expect greater fruits than telling the Lord how we prefer to structure our time with Him.

This relates to our obedience to the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is directing us by His whispers all day long. The problem lies in our response to these promptings. If we were to submit to these promptings, we’d become saints in no time. However, two obstacles arise. One, it can be very hard to hear or discern the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Two, it can be challenging, to be honest enough to admit we are being prompted by the Spirit, especially when He leads us in a direction we do not want to go. 

To ensure progress in our ability to obey and discern the Spirit, it’s helpful to do two things; be attentive and consult an experienced spiritual director. First, we must always be listening for His voice. If our inner voice suggests giving the homeless man at the entrance to the market a warm smile or maybe some money, there’s a good chance that’s a nudge from the Spirit. Suppose we’ve just gotten in a fight with our spouse and don’t clearly see what we did wrong but decide to apologize for anything we could have done to upset them and to attempt to make peace; there’s a good chance that’s a prompting. However, if we get an inspiration that holds a little more weight and doesn’t plainly seem like it’s the voice of God, it would be prudent to bring this to a priest and discuss it. The Devil loves to mimic the voice of God and attempt to derail well-meaning people by convincing them to take on overly burdensome penances or other imprudent decisions under the guise of leading them closer to God, which is why it’s always important to seek advice from an experienced spiritual director before undertaking any practices that are out of the ordinary.

For more on the discernment of spirits, check out: St. Ignatius’ Rules for Discernment here.

Facilitating recollection

Practicing the Presence of God can be a profoundly enriching and transformative experience. By cultivating a constant awareness of God’s Presence in our lives, we can find joy, peace, and fulfillment in even the most mundane moments of our day. However, as with any spiritual practice, many obstacles can hinder our ability to practice the Presence of God.

To truly cultivate a constant awareness of God’s Presence in our lives, it is vital to be aware of these potential obstacles and work to overcome them. By doing so, we can experience God’s Presence in our lives and be transformed by His love and grace.

Here are some things that could be potential impediments to searching for God through this grace:

• Distractions: It would be unrealistic to expect that one could cut out distractions completely. They are part of everyday life. However, there’s massive differentiation between an unwanted distraction and something we willfully give attention to. It’s also not very helpful to write out an exhaustive list of things that can be things we are giving too much time to and are getting in the way of our pursuit of God. I will, however, offer some food for thought. Our attention is valuable, and the mind is the stomach of the soul. When we allow our minds to consume junk, it often feels like our soul is full of garbage. What I mean by that is when we partake in something that isn’t good for us, it feels bad. We feel bad. To pinpoint what distracts us, we can take note of our daily activities and observe. What makes us feel bad? What makes us feel good? Evaluate and act according to what you find. Honesty is key. Also, When we reach for the phone to doom scroll, we turn the tv on or put the earbuds in; it’s typically to distract ourselves from the inner silence. If This is the case, it may be because the silence reminds us of our poverty. The unease we feel when we encounter silence is the hunger pangs of our soul. During times like these, when we reach for our distraction of choice, try re-directing into prayer.
• Attachment to sin: Attachment to sin can create a barrier to practicing the Presence of God because by remaining in our sin, we communicate to God that we prefer to misuse the gifts He’s given to us. We make an idol of ourselves and prefer our ways to the way God has designed for us to provide us with the most happiness. This obstacle is common, as our darkened intellects can easily misjudge something evil as something good. To avoid this obstacle, it is beneficial to pray frequently, asking the Lord to enlighten you about the things you may be doing that prevent Him from sharing His Presence more vividly with you. This prayer demonstrates to the Lord a willingness to follow him no matter the cost to us personally. To learn more about attachments to sin, check this article from CatholicCulture.
• Lack of consistency: It is paramount that we are firm in our desire to always be with Christ throughout our day. We must not be wishy-washy, telling Jesus that He’s all we want one day and that the things of the world are all we want the next day. We can judge the insincerity of our neighbors rather quickly when we experience this behavior. We say to ourselves, Here we go again; I wonder what they’ll say tomorrow. We don’t take this type seriously, nor does the Lord, so let’s be firm and seek him always. When it’s hard to, when it’s easy to, when we’re sick, and when we’re healthy. Make the decision and commit to the Lord.
• Discouragement and self-criticism: Our failing will rear their heads while we engage in this practice, but it’s essential not to focus on them. Acknowledge them, repent, examine what made you fall, and move on in grace. The Devil could not be more furious about the prospect of you engaging in this exercise, and when you fall, will attempt to rub your nose in the shame of your failure. Ignore his effort, and remember that your failures are the exact reasons your life thus far has led you to cling so tightly to Christ and the transforming power of His Presence.

It is important to remember that the journey of practicing the Presence of God is a lifelong one. There’s no need to beat yourself up about shortcomings. There will always be obstacles and challenges along the way, but with persistence and faith, we can continue to deepen our relationship with God and grow in our ability to stay present in the Lord’s moment. As we do so, we will find that the obstacles that once hindered us are now opportunities for growth and transformation, and we will be drawn ever closer to the heart of God.

Moving forward in the Presence of God.

Practicing the Presence of God is not just a spiritual exercise; it is a way of life. It is a way of seeing the world through new eyes, of living with greater intention and awareness of His Way, and of finding joy and meaning in even the most ordinary moments. From the teachings of Brother Lawrence to the wisdom of St. John of the Cross, we have learned that there are many ways to cultivate this practice, from simple acts of gratitude and prayer to more complex exercises of the mind and heart.

But no matter what method we choose, persistence is the key to practicing the Presence of God. It is seeking Him daily, even when we don’t feel like it. It is choosing to stay present amid distractions and difficulties. It is letting go of our attachments to sin and negative thoughts and emotions and choosing instead to focus on the love and grace of God.

So let us go forth from here with renewed purpose and intention, seeking to practice the Presence of God in all that we do. Let us be a light in the darkness, a reminder to all those around us that God is with us always. And let us never forget that in practicing the Presence of God, Christ is not just transforming is, but the world around us.