Book: The Practice of the Presence of God.
Author: Brother Lawrence
Info: No publication date indicated on this edition (originally published in 1691): New York: Fleming H. Revell Company
Rating (on a scale of 1-4 stars): ✮✮
Where Acquired: Free Kindle download.
What it's about: This short volume contains select conversations and letters from Brother Lawrence, a 17th century Carmelite Monk. Self-described as “a great awkward fellow who broke everything,” Lawrence’s devotion to the practice of the presence of God was what drew the anonymous author to compile his story.
Favorite Quotes:
That in order to form a habit of conversing with GOD continually, and offering all we do to Him, we must at first apply to Him with some diligence, but that after a little care we should find His love inwardly excite us to it without any difficulty. – p. 3.
That in this conversation with God, we are also employed in praising, adoring, and loving Him incessantly, for His infinite goodness and perfection. - p. 9
That we ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of GOD, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed. - p. 10
Sometimes I consider myself there as a stone before a carver, whereof he is to make a statue, presenting myself thus before GOD, I desire Him to form His perfect image in my soul, and make me entirely like Himself. - p. 20
It is not necessary for being with GOD to be always at church, we may make an oratory of our heart wherein to retire from time to time to converse with Him in meekness, humility and love. p. 31
Let all our employment be to know GOD: the more one knows Him, the more one desires to know Him. p. 47
What I liked:
The vivid imagery with which Lawrence describes his encounters with God was beautiful.
What I didn’t like:
- Brother Lawrence was already cloistered away in a monastery. His request that his letters about his devotional practice be shared with no one (p.15) baffled me. His revelation of consistently practicing God’s presence was for every believer, not just him, and definitely not just for those of his particular sect.
- His admitting that “Not finding my manner of life in books, although I have no difficulty about it” (p. 16) makes his theology a bit suspect in the beginning. Is the Bible included in the books he ignores?
- As his letters go on, we see how the ascetic practices of this particular order of monks overshadow the truths of God’s Word. Statements like “It is not pleasure which we ought to seek in the exercise, but let us do it from a principle of love and because GOD would have us” (p. 27) and advising the sick not to seek relief because, as he believes, it comes from the hand of God, flies in the face of the Cross of Christ, and makes the “word of God of none effect” (Mark 7:13). In other words, he advises us to seek the presence of God, but to make sure we derive no pleasure from it, though Psalm 16:11 says “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy, at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”
Takeaway:
I derived much more stimulation of faith from the blissful conversations than the harsh gracelessness of Brother Lawrence’s letters. I assumed that perhaps I was losing something in translation (these letters were originally written in French). However, after several rereadings, my conclusions remain the same. I would not discourage the reading of this classic; far from it. However, a firm foundation in the Word of God is essential to distinguish the hay from the sticks.
