The Practice of the Presence of God – The Book That Changed My Life
by Nikki Walton of CurlyNikki.com
This is the one. This is the book that confirmed it all for me back in January 2016.
In an obscure Eckhart Tolle Q&A for practitioners, he mentioned his inspiration and teacher, Joel Goldsmith, specifically the book The Art of Spiritual Healing. I immediately bought that book and a few others, including Practicing the Presence. I started with that one, and Joel mentioned Brother Lawrence in the intro, a French monk who lived in the 1600s and who lived and breathed the Presence of God. He inspired the title of his book!
I had already made feeling God consciously, my whole entire spiritual life (my soul/sole practice), so finding out that what I had been doing had a name?! I dropped everything, dropped Joel (respectfully), and went straight to the horse’s mouth. And now I’m bringing it straight to you.
It’s not a big read, but it’ll open something big in you.
Turning his thoughts toward God, again and again, until it became constant, this was Brother Lawrence’s entire practice. Sit with these words today. Read slowly. Take little sips. Breathe between the lines. Feel beneath the words.
When you’re done, share this post with someone who’s learning to feel God everywhere.
I love you,
nik
Here are a few of the Spiritual Maxims compiled at the end of most translations-
Maxim I
We must study ever to regard God and His Glory in all that we do, and say, and undertake. This is the end that we should set before ourselves – to offer to God a sacrifice of perfect worship in this life, as we hope to do through all eternity.
Maxim II
That practice which is alike the most holy, the most general, and the most needful in the spiritual life is the practice of the Presence of God. It is the schooling of the soul to find its joy in His Divine Companionship – holding with Him at all times and every moment humble and loving converse, without set rules or stated method.
Maxim III
God knoweth best what is needful for us, and all that He does is for our good. If we knew how much He loves us, we should always be ready to receive equally and with indifference from His hand the sweet and the bitter.
My favorite Maxim of all-
By the practice of the Presence of God, by steadfast gaze on Him, the soul comes to a knowledge of God, full and deep, to an Unclouded Vision: all its life is passed in unceasing acts of love and worship, of contrition and of simple trust, and service; at times indeed life seems to be but one long unbroken practice of His Divine Presence.
