the

practice

of the

presence

OF GOD

brother Lawrence

Editor’s note: This book has been edited for the modern reader. Words, expressions, and sentence structure have been updated for clarity and readability.

THE PRACTICE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD

ISBN-13: 978-1-60374-168-2

Produced in the United States of America

© 1982 by Whitaker House

Cover photo © by Russ Lamb/H. Armstrong Roberts

Whitaker House

30 Hunt Valley Circle

New Kensington, PA 15068

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

This book has been digitally produced in a standard specification in order to ensure its availibility.

Preface

The Practice of the Presence of God is a collection of Brother Lawrence’s spiritual insights into the heart of God, as revealed through his letters, conversations, and his life itself. Written over three hundred years ago, this message is relevant for every Christian who is caught up in the rush of today’s world.

Each section, whether written by the author’s own hand or by his close friend, Joseph de Beaufort, reveals the inner secrets of Brother Lawrence’s heart—a heart that had learned the most essential ingredient of the Christian life: how to remain in the presence of God.

In this abridged edition, we have sought to update and clarify the language of this Christian classic, paraphrasing where necessary, while keeping the essence of the message intact.

We trust that Brother Lawrence’s lifelong endeavor to dwell completely in the presence of God will become a continual practice for all who read this book.

—The Publisher

Part One

***

Conversations

First Conversation

I met Brother Lawrence for the first time today. He told me that God had been especially good to him in his conversion. He was eighteen at the time and still in the world. He told me that it had all happened one winter day, as he was looking at a barren tree. Although the tree’s leaves were indeed gone, he knew that they would soon reappear, followed by blossoms and then fruit. This gave him a profound impression of God’s providence and power, which never left him. Brother Lawrence still maintains that this impression detached him entirely from the world and gave him such a great love for God that it hasn’t changed in all of the forty years he has been walking with Him.

Brother Lawrence had formerly been a servant to the treasurer of the monastery and had been very clumsy. He believed that in order to be saved, he would have to be punished for this clumsiness. Thus, he sacrificed all of the pleasures in his life to God. However, rather than punishing him, God gave him nothing but wholehearted satisfaction. He would tell the Lord endearingly and often that he felt deceived, because his Christian walk had thus far been so pleasant and not filled with suffering as he had anticipated.

Brother ...