This month, we have been studying together, as a congregation, Bill Hybel’s book “The Power of a Whisper” and learning how to hear from God and follow in obedience. In one of his messages on “Practicing the Presence of God” Hybels shares the following story which is enriching.
Nicholas Herman, who later became known as “Brother Lawrence,” realized one day that he had grown incredibly dissatisfied with his life in the world. It is thought that he was around fifty years of age when he made the bold decision to enter a monastery in Paris and devote himself fully to serving God.
By his own admission, Brother Lawrence had entered the monastic community in order to learn—and hopefully perfect—the art of spiritual discipline. You can imagine his surprise, then, when upon joining the other brothers, he was put in charge of kitchen duty. At first he found the routine of being elbows-deep in dirty pots and pans a direct route to self-sacrifice, which was okay by him. Maybe a little self-sacrifice was required in order to fully embrace the discipline he sought.
But over time, something interesting happened. Rather than viewing his work as penance, he began to find satisfaction there. In his words, “Slaving over a hot stove taught me how to practice the presence of God.”
Understandably, the other monks began to notice that the guy with kitchen duty had turned over a new leaf. And so they probed. In response, Brother Lawrence said that he was learning to practice God’s presence in the “little duties” of life. “It’s nothing all that mysterious,” he said. “I just communicate with God all the time.”
In his book, The Practice of the Presence of God, he speaks of the goal for every Christ-followers this way: “That we might accustom ourselves to a continual conversation with God, with freedom and simplicity. That we need only to recognize God intimately present with us, to address ourselves to Him every moment, that we may beg His assistance for knowing His will in things doubtful, and for rightly performing those which we plainly see He requires of us, offering them to Him before we do them, and giving Him thanks when we have done. That in this conversation with God we are also employed in praising, adoring, and loving Him incessantly, for His infinite goodness and perfection.”
Obviously, seventeenth-century vernacular is a bit different from that of today. Allow me to wrap different words around his powerful sentiments.
The goal, according to Brother Lawrence, is for us to get used to being in a continual conversation with God, as though we have a Bluetooth device in one ear with a constant connection to heaven. Every moment, we can come before God, ask for His wisdom on whatever interaction or task we face, do exactly what He whispers for us to do, and thank Him for His guidance and care when it’s all said and done.
Ephesians 6:18 says that we are to, “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” In other words, we are to invite God in.
Think about that for a moment. How often do you invite God into the situations you face?
When you suffer a meaningful loss, do you say, “Jesus, please enter into my pain …”?
When you butt heads with someone you care about, do you say, “Jesus, show me where I am wrong here …”?
When you fall prey to the same sin you’ve been trying to kick for years, do you say, “Jesus, please forgive me … and please show me the way out …”?
When you land the deal at work you’ve been working on for months, do you say, “Jesus, every success I know is due to you! Please receive every ounce of glory for this …”?
God stands ready to whisper into your circumstances, if only you will practice being conscious of Him in the same way He is conscious of you.
If you have never practiced communicating with God—intimately, consistently and frequently—why not start today? Invite Him in. Ask Him to make His presence known throughout the rest of your day/night. And commit to Him that regardless of the tasks you’ll be tending to, you will acknowledge Him there by your side.
Back to Brother Lawrence for one final insight. When asked about how he balanced his kitchen duties with the spiritual discipline of prayer—of constant communication with God—he said this: “The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer, and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the blessed sacrament.”
Let’s “possess God in” this week. No matter how much noise and clatter you find yourself in, let God take center stage. In all your ways, and throughout all your days, acknowledge him. And He will direct your path.
