The Practice of the Presence of God

The First Conversation with Brother Lawrence

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Opening Prayer

Before you begin, take a moment to quiet your heart. Ask God to open your eyes to see Him more clearly through the words of Brother Lawrence. There is no rush. This is time set apart to learn how to be with God.

Write a brief prayer asking God to teach you through this session. What do you hope to receive?

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Scripture: God Revealed in Creation

²⁰For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.Romans 1:20 · NIV

Psalm 19 ¹The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. ²Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. ³They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. ⁴Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.Psalm 19:1-4 · NIV

Pause and consider: God reveals Himself through creation. Brother Lawrence's conversion began with observing a simple tree. As you read, notice how God used ordinary things to reveal extraordinary truth.

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Historical Context

In the winter of 1666, a church official named Abbé Joseph de Beaufort visited the Carmelite monastery in Paris. He had heard of a lay brother who worked in the kitchen—a man named Nicholas Herman, known as Brother Lawrence—who had discovered something remarkable: an unbroken sense of God's presence that never left him, whether he was praying in the chapel or washing pots in the kitchen.

What follows is the record of their first conversation. Brother Lawrence was about 55 years old and had been practicing the presence of God for nearly 40 years. Read slowly. Let his words sink in.

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The First Conversation

Read this section slowly, perhaps even aloud. When something strikes you, stop and sit with it.

The First Conversation: August 3, 1666

The first time I saw Brother Lawrence was upon the third of August, 1666. He told me that God had done him a singular favor in his conversion at the age of eighteen.

That in the winter, seeing a tree stripped of its leaves, and considering that within a little time the leaves would be renewed, and after that the flowers and fruit appear, he received a high view of the providence and power of God, which has never since been effaced from his soul.

That this view had perfectly set him loose from the world, and kindled in him such a love for God that he could not tell whether it had increased during the more than forty years he had lived since.

Pause here. A barren tree in winter became the doorway to a 40-year journey with God. What ordinary thing has God used to reveal Himself to you? Describe the moment.

Brother Lawrence continues:

That he had been footman to Monsieur Fieubert, the treasurer, and that he was a great awkward fellow who broke everything.

That he had desired to be received into a monastery, thinking that he would there be made to smart for his awkwardness and the faults he should commit, and so he should sacrifice to God his life, with its pleasures; but that God had disappointed him, he having met with nothing but satisfaction in that state.

That we should establish ourselves in God's presence by continually talking with God. That it was a shameful thing to quit His conversation to think of trifles and fooleries.

That we should feed and nourish our souls with deep understandings of God; which would yield us great joy in being devoted to Him.

That we ought to quicken—that is, to enliven—our faith. That it was sad we had so little; and that instead of taking faith for the rule of their conduct, men amused themselves with trivial devotions, which changed daily.

That the way of faith was the spirit of the Church, and that it was sufficient to bring us to a high degree of perfection.

Brother Lawrence warns against 'trivial devotions which changed daily.' What spiritual practices do you find yourself starting and stopping? What would it look like to have faith as 'the rule of your conduct' instead?

That we ought to give ourselves up entirely to God, with regard both to things temporal and spiritual, and seek our satisfaction only in the fulfilling of His will, whether He lead us by suffering or by consolation; for all would be equal to a soul truly resigned.

That there was need of fidelity in those times of dryness, or insensibility and irksomeness in prayer, by which God tries our love to Him; that then was the time for us to make good and effectual acts of resignation, of which one alone would oftentimes very much promote our spiritual advancement.

That as for the miseries and sins he heard of daily in the world, he was so far from wondering at them that, instead, he was surprised there were not more, considering the malice sinners were capable of; that for his part, he prayed for them; but knowing that God could remedy the mischiefs they did when He pleased, he gave himself no further trouble.

That to arrive at such resignation as God requires, we should watch attentively over all the passions, which mingle as well in spiritual things as those of a grosser nature; that God would give light concerning those passions to those who truly desire to serve Him.

That if this was my design, sincerely to serve God, I might come to him (Brother Lawrence) as often as I pleased, without any fear of being troublesome; but if not, that I ought no more to visit him.

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Scripture: The Simplicity of Devotion

¹¹Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. ¹²It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” ¹³Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” ¹⁴No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.Deuteronomy 30:11-14 · NIV

Brother Lawrence discovered that the presence of God was not far off or complicated. Like this Scripture says, it is 'very near you.' The practice is simple: ongoing conversation with God.

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Key Insights from This Conversation

• Conversion can come through simple observation of nature—a tree in winter revealed God's providence and power.
• The practice of God's presence is established by 'continually talking with God.'
• Dryness in prayer is not failure—it is when God tests and deepens our love.
• Suffering and consolation can be equal to a soul that is truly resigned to God.
• We must watch over our passions—they can interfere with both earthly and spiritual matters.

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Deep Reflection

Brother Lawrence's love for God was kindled at 18 and he 'could not tell whether it had increased' over 40 years. What does it mean for love to be so constant that you can't measure its growth? How does this compare to your experience of loving God?

Brother Lawrence expected suffering in the monastery but found 'nothing but satisfaction.' Have you ever been surprised by joy where you expected difficulty? Or surprised by difficulty where you expected ease?

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Closing Scripture: An Invitation

¹³You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.Jeremiah 29:13 · NIV

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Practice for This Week

Brother Lawrence's journey began by noticing God in a tree. This week, practice this:

1. Once each day, stop and observe something in creation—a plant, the sky, an animal, water.
2. Ask: 'Lord, what are You showing me about Yourself through this?'
3. Wait in silence for at least one minute. Don't rush to the next thing.
4. Thank God for revealing Himself, whether you 'felt' something or not.

Use this space to journal about your practice this week. What did you observe? What did God show you?

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Closing Prayer

Lord, like Brother Lawrence, I want to see You in the ordinary things of life. Open my eyes to Your providence and power. Kindle in me a love for You that remains constant through all seasons—the barren winters and the fruitful summers. Teach me to talk with You continually, not in complicated ways, but simply, as a friend speaks to a friend. Amen.