Spiritual Solutions

In perfecting the art of living creatively, we must come to the realization that right where we are, right now, is the best possible place for us. This is where we must be in order to move in the direction of where we want to go.

Every place, every moment, you are in your right place, which is not a geographical location, but it is a state of consciousness. It is an attitude, a feeling. Someone has said, “Do what you can with what you have, right where you are.” Consent to life, let if flow, let it happen.

I’ve always loved the poem No Other Way, by Martha Smock, editor of Daily Word magazine for many years:

Could we but see the pattern of our days,
We should discern the ways
By which we came to this, the present time,
This place in life; and we should see the climb
Our soul has made up through the years.
We should forget the hurts, the wanderings, the fears,
The wastelands of our life and know
That we could come no other way or grow
Into our good without these steps our feet
Found hard to take, our faith found hard to meet.
The road of life winds on, and we like travelers go
From turn to turn until we come to know
The truth that life is endless and that we
Forever are inhabitants of all eternity.

We need to accept this day as the ideal time and where we need to be in order to begin to grow and to go forward. So, know this: God is right where you are. Right in this point of time, in the midst of this challenge, in this particular position, the creative process is working; divine intelligence is your potential for guidance, and a tremendous cosmic energy stands ready to support your every move.

Train your mind away from futile dwelling on the past and thinking, “Oh, if I had only done so and so.” What you did was what you were then; today you are a different person, with greater maturity and deeper perception and broader experience. Naturally, you can see today how you could have done things differently in a previous time. Just give thanks for all you have learned.

Many older persons have had “good old days,” with more energy, looks, position, money, and so forth, but that was then and this is now. Now it is time to accept what author Gerald Heard calls “second maturity” in which we give our consent to today and to all that it offers. Build on the now that is joyous and expectant. Today has something much more thrilling than yesterday. It is here, it is now, and it is new. “Rekindle the gift of God that is within you.” (II Tim 1:6) Stir up the expectancy and childlike enthusiasm for the good days which are the now days.

You must be willing to start where you are and do what you can with what you have. The emphasis on tomorrow as the time when our dreams come true is a barrier to be overcome in working spiritually to achieve through prayer. Many do not achieve what they think they are working toward because they think that if they do such and such now, then in some future time there will be a demonstration of health and prosperity.

Truth has relevance only in the here and now. Jesus said, “Pray, believing you have already received.” (Mk 11:24) The only demonstration there is, ever was or ever will be is in and of divine law and the only time it knows is now. Pray for the consciousness of wholeness now. Affirm you are in your right place now.

The best method to get started right now is to get started every morning in a positive, radiant, joyful consciousness. Elbert Hubbard said, “Be pleasant until ten o’clock in the morning, and the rest of the day will take care of itself.” Don’t wait to see what the day holds; bring a spirit of joy to it yourself. Don’t waste effort trying to pry joy out of other people or out of your job. It doesn’t work this way. You must put joy into your job, your day, and your relationships. Happiness is not in circumstances; it is in us. It is not in something we see or feel or view; it is something we are.

Life is a constantly unfolding adventure. Do not hold tenaciously to that which has passed. Do not grasp frantically to things you hope will happen in the future. Give you consent to today; look around yourself in the now. Experience the happenings of this very day. Some will challenge you, some will even be painful, but even this contains the blessings of growth for you. Give your consent, make your peace, and you will be led to a brighter tomorrow.

In spiritual seeking, get immersed in the presence of God. Don’t practice the absence of God, or deal with God in the past tense, or consider God as something that happens in the future. Don’t spend your time trying to find God, as though He were off somewhere other than where you are. The presence of God exists here and now, in time and in location. Right at this moment, right there within you, is the potential for a fulfilling experience. You are always in your right place! 

Remember, God is Blessing You Right Now!

Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham

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Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over thirty-eight years, invites you to subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter, Spiritual Solutions.

Please feel free to publish this article in your blog or newsletter or share it with a friend, as long as you include this resource box.

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Meditation can help you to understand something of your own unique relationship with the Infinite process. Just as you have been conditioned to think that God is “out there” or “up there,” so your prayer has probably been much the same as forging out into the world to make a new career. Prayer has been a going up or out, a trying to make contact with some secret source of divine support.

In meditation, we are not trying to reach something, but to give up the idea of reaching. It is a matter of being still. It is a process of experiencing an inner flow. To understand this, we need to revise our understanding of God.

GGod is not a person to be prayed to; God is a dynamic flow of power and love to be prayed from. You need to “plug in” to this Presence. As Jesus said, “the kingdom of heaven is within you.” (Luke 17:21) Our goal should be to let it come “on earth as it is in heaven.”

We live in a supportive Universe, and we are surrounded by the supportive Presence of God. We don’t have to reach far away from ourselves to find God. We must let down our defenses, give our consent, and let God express through us.

In order to clarify this idea, let me suggest that instead of praying to God, know that God is praying for you. Know that the entire supportive process of the Universe is on your side, working for you. It will heal you, help you, and guide you, if you only get still. Your need is not to “get it” but to “let it . . .” The Bible says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” (Jer. 31:3)

Don’t approach your meditation as if you were entering a void, nor with the thought of sitting in an empty room, nor with the thought that you are alone. Tell yourself that when you get still enough, the whole, dynamic activity of the Universe is moving in and through you, and it’s flowing forth as you in a dynamic, meaningful process.

Divine Mind is not off somewhere, a place you might reach if you pray in a certain way. You live in Divine Mind. You are an activity of Divine Mind.

Many people have subscribed to all sorts of Eastern practices such as Yoga. These are helpful as a discipline if you feel the need for that discipline. But a proper posture for meditation may also be sitting in a straight-back chair, feet flat on the floor, hands folded and body erect.

Whatever you choose to do, don’t make a fetish out of the position. The only reason for assuming any posture is to make it easier to center your attention on God, and to become receptive to God’s Infinite power. This is not meant as a criticism of any particular practice, but simply a reminder that “it is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is of no avail.” (John 6:63)

The first step in meditation is to realize that God is not to be reached for, but that God is already present. The second step is letting go of your tensions, a drill in relaxation, suggesting to your body that it is free and relaxed, and suggesting to your mind that it is open and receptive. “Be still and know . . .”

Sometimes I use the suggestion, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10) as a vehicle for going into meditation by dropping off one word at a time as I focus on relaxing and going deeper, i.e. “Be still and know that I am God . . . be still and know that I am . . . be still and know that I . . . be still and know that . . . be still and know . . . be still and . . .be still . . . be.”

Then I rest in stillness and silence. If and when extraneous thoughts come up I may use a “sacred” word of my own choosing that reminds me to bring my attention back to focusing on the Presence.

Don’t expect a loud voice or colored lights, or any kind of phenomena or show. This may happen because of your imaginative nature, but this is not “where it’s at.” Just be still and know that there is a flow in you.

To paraphrase the words of Plotinus, if you can get yourself relaxed enough, and get you out of the way, “the spirit will come rushing, streaming, and pouring into you from all sides while you stand quiet.”

There is no way to tell you “how” to meditate. I can only share some ideas that can lead you into your meditation. If you are sincere enough and relaxed enough, the Infinite process will work through you.

Remember, God is Blessing You Right Now!

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Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over thirty-seven years, invites you to subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter, Spiritual Solutions.

Please feel free to publish this article in your blog or newsletter or share it with a friend, as long as you include this resource box.

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In the tenth letter, Brother Lawrence is apparently responding in regard to someone who has lost a loved one or friend; then in the eleventh letter he is seeking to console someone who is ill or in pain and to have the person accept and embrace the condition rather than resist it.

Some of the language is old-fashioned and very traditional, but in both letters he is seeking to draw the correspondents back to principle, to focus first and foremost on God’s presence rather than on the condition they are experiencing.

In the succeeding letters, Brother Lawrence empathizes with his correspondent and seeks to emphasize the importance of giving oneself completely into God’s loving care and keeping, notwithstanding suffering of any kind, and to pray for courage, humility, and love.

He then declares: “Let us seek after Him often by faith. He is within us; seek Him not elsewhere. . . . Let us begin to be devoted to Him in good earnest. Let us cast everything besides out of our hearts.”

TWELFTH LETTER

If we were well accustomed to the exercise of the presence of God, all bodily diseases would be much alleviated thereby. God often permits that we should suffer a little to purify our souls and oblige us to continue with Him.

Take courage; offer Him your pains incessantly; pray to Him for strength to endure them. Above all, get a habit of entertaining yourself often with God, and forget Him the least you can.

Adore Him in your infirmities, offer yourself to Him from time to time, and in the height of your sufferings beseech Him humbly and affectionately (as a child his father) to make you conformable to His holy will. I shall endeavor to assist you with my poor prayers.

God has many ways of drawing us to Himself. He sometimes hides Himself from us; but faith alone, which will not fail us in time of need, ought to be our support, and the foundation of our confidence, which must be all in God.

I know not how God will dispose of me. I am always happy. All the world suffer; and I, who deserve the severest discipline, feel joys so continual and so great that I can scarce contain them.

I would willingly ask of God a part of your sufferings, but that I know my weakness, which is so great that if He left me one moment to myself I should be the most wretched man alive. And yet I know not how He can leave me alone, because faith gives me as strong a conviction as sense can do that He never forsakes us until we have first forsaken Him. Let us fear to leave Him Let us always be with Him. Let us live and die in His presence. Do you pray for me as I for you.

I am,

Yours, etc.

THIRTEENTH LETTER (To the Same)

I am in pain to see you suffer so long. What gives me some ease and sweetens the feelings I have for your griefs is that they are proofs of God’s love toward you. See them in that view and you will bear them more easily.

As your case is, it is my opinion that you should leave off human remedies, and resign yourself entirely to the providence of God. Perhaps He stays only for that resignation and a perfect trust in Him to cure you. Since, notwithstanding all your cares, physic has hitherto proved unsuccessful, and your malady still increases, it will not be tempting God to abandon yourself in His hands and expect all from Him.

I told you in my last that He sometimes permits bodily diseases to cure the distempers of the soul. Have courage, then; make a virtue of necessity. Ask of God, not deliverance from your pains, but strength to bear resolutely, for the love of Him, all that He should please, and as long as He shall please.

Such prayers, indeed, are a little hard to nature, but most acceptable to God, and sweet t those that love Him. Love sweetens pains; and when one loves God, one suffers for His sake with joy and courage.

Do you so, I beseech you; comfort yourself with Him, who is the only Physician of all our maladies. He is the Father of the afflicted, always ready to help us. He loves us infinitely, more than we imagine. Love Him, then, and seek no consolation elsewhere. I hope you will soon receive it. Adieu. I will help you with my prayers, poor as they are, and shall always be, in our Lord,

Yours, etc.

FOURTEENTH LETTER (To the Same)

I render thanks to our Lord for having relieved you a little, according to your desire. I have been often near expiring, but I never was so much satisfied as then. Accordingly, I did not pray for any relief, but I prayed for strength to suffer with courage, humility, and love.

Ah, how sweet it is to suffer with God! However great the sufferings may be, receive them with love. It is paradise to suffer and be with Him; so that if in this life we would enjoy the peace of paradise we must accustom ourselves to a familiar, humble, affectionate conversation with Him.

We must hinder our spirits’ wandering from Him upon any occasion. We must make our heart a spiritual temple, wherein to adore Him incessantly. We must watch continually over ourselves, that we may not do nor say nor think anything that may displease Him. When our minds are thus employed about God, suffering will become full of unction and consolation.

I know that to arrive at this state the beginning is very difficult, for we must act purely in faith. But though it is difficult, we know also that we can do all things with the grace of God, which He never refuses to them who ask it earnestly. Knock, persevere in knocking, and I answer for it that He will open to you in His due time, and grant you all at once what He has deferred during many years. Adieu. Pray to Him for me as I pray to Him for you. I hope to see Him quickly.

                                                                                                I am,

Yours, etc.

FIFTEENTH LETTER (To the Same)

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. All would please that came from Him.

The sorest afflictions never appear intolerable, except when we see them in the wrong light. When we see them as dispensed by the hand of God, when we know that it is our loving Father who abases and distresses us, our sufferings will lose their bitterness and become even matter of consolation.

Let all our employment be to know God; the more one knows Him, the more one desires to know Him. And as knowledge is commonly the measure of love, the deeper and more extensive our knowledge shall be, the greater will be our love; and if our love of God were great, we should love Him equally in pains and pleasures.

Let us not content ourselves with loving God for the mere sensible favors, how elevated soever, which He has done or may do us. Such favors, though never so great, cannot bring us so near to Him as faith does in one simple act. Let us seek Him often by faith. He is within us; seek Him not elsewhere.

If we do love Him alone, are we not rude, and do we not deserve blame, if we busy ourselves about trifles which do not please and perhaps offend Him? It is to be feared these trifles will one day cost us dear.

Let us begin to be devoted to Him in good earnest. Let us cast everything besides out of our hearts. He would possess them alone. Beg this favor of Him. If we do what we can on our parts, we shall soon see that change wrought in us which we aspire after. I cannot thank Him sufficiently for the relaxation He has vouchsafed you. I hope from His mercy the favor to see Him within a few days. Let us pray for one another.

                                                                                    I am, in our Lord,

Yours, etc.

(Note: He took to his bed two days after this writing, and died within the week.)

I hope you have received good value and insights from this classic spiritual book.

God is Blessing You Right Now!

The Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham

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Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over thirty-six years, invites you to enjoy more articles and/or subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter, Spiritual Solutions or go directly to the Spiritual Solutions Blog

If you’d like to receive weekday inspirational quotes, you can subscribe at Rich Words

To make a donation to “Spiritual Solutions,” just go to Send a Love Offering and it will take you to a simple form you can use. Thank you – I am very grateful for your generosity!

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In this series based on selections from the book The Practice of the Presence of God, by Brother Lawrence, we last week presented the first of Brother Lawrence’s Letters.

In the First Letter he emphasized the importance of making the sense of God’s presence habitual. In other words, so that it becomes a natural part of our being.

In seeking to become wholly God’s, he renounced in mind everything that was not God and began to live as if there was none but God and he in the world.

 Even though he encountered many difficulties in his practice, he continued it.

 Now we turn to the Second Letter.

To the Reverend _________

Not finding any manner of life in books, although I have no difficulty about it, yet, for greater security, I shall be glad to know your thoughts concerning it.

In a conversation some days since with a person of piety, he told me the spiritual life was a life of grace, which begins with servile fear, which is increased by hope of eternal life, and which is consummated by pure love; that each of these states had its different stages, by which one arrives at last at that blessed consummation.

I have not followed all these methods. On the contrary, from I know not what instincts, I found they discouraged me. This is the reason why, at my entrance into religion, I took a resolution to give myself up to God, as the best return I could make for His love, and, for the love of Him, to renounce all besides.

For the first year I commonly employed myself during the time set apart for devotion with the thought of death, judgment, heaven, hell, and my sins. Thus I continued some years, applying my mind carefully the rest of the day, and even in the midst of my business, to the presence of God, whom I considered always as with me, often as in me.

At length I came insensibly to do the same thing during my set time of prayer, which caused in me great delight and consolation. This practice produced in me so high an esteem for God that faith alone was capable to satisfy me in that point.

(At this point the narrator inserts a footnote, as follows: I suppose he means that all distinct notions he could form of God were unsatisfactory, because he perceived them to be unworthy of God; and therefore his mind was not to be satisfied but by the views of faith, which apprehend God as infinite and incomprehensible, as He is in Himself, and not as He can be conceived by human ideas.)

Such was my beginning, and yet I must tell you that for the first ten years I suffered much. The apprehension that I was not devoted to God as I wished to be, my past sins always present to my mind, and the great unmerited favors which God did me, were the matter and source of my sufferings. During this time I fell often, and rose again presently.

It seemed to me that all creatures, reason, and God Himself were against me, and faith alone for me. I was troubled sometimes with thoughts that to believe I had received such favors was an effect of my presumption, which pretended to be at once where others arrived with difficulty; at other times, that it was a willful delusion, and that there was no salvation for me.

When I thought of nothing but to end my days in these troubles (which did not at all diminish the trust I had in God, and which served only to increase my faith), I found myself changed all at once; and my soul, which till that time was in trouble, felt a profound inward peace, as if she were in her center and place of rest.

Ever since that time I walk before God simply, in faith, with humility and with love, and I apply myself diligently to do nothing and think nothing which may displease Him. I hope that when I have done what I can, He will do with me what He pleases.

As for what passes in me at present, I cannot express it. I have no pain or difficulty about my state, because I have no will but that of God, which I endeavor to accomplish in all things, and to which I am so resigned that I would not take up a straw from the ground against His order, or from any other motive than purely that of love to Him.

I have quitted all forms of devotion and set prayers but those to which my state obliges me. And I make it my business only to persevere in His holy presence, wherein I keep myself by a simple attention, and a general fond regard to God, which I may call an actual presence of God; or, to speak better, an habitual, silent, and secret conversation of the soul with God, which often causes me joys and raptures inwardly, and sometimes also outwardly, so great that I am forced to use means to moderate them and prevent their appearance to others.

In short, I am assured beyond all doubt that my soul has been with God above these thirty years. I pass over many things that I may not be tedious to you, yet I think it proper to inform you after what manner I consider myself before God, whom I behold as my King.

I consider myself as the most wretched of men, full of sores and corruption, and who has committed all sorts of crimes against his King. Touched with a sensible regret, I confess to Him all my wickedness, I ask his forgiveness, I abandon myself in His hands that He may do what He pleases with me. The King, full of mercy and goodness, very far from chastising me, embraces me with love, makes me eat at His table, serves me with His own hands, gives me the key of His treasures; He converses and delights Himself with me incessantly, in a thousand and a thousand ways, and treats me in all respects as His favorite. It is thus I consider myself from time to time in His holy presence.

My most useful method is this simple attention, and such a general passionate regard to God, to whom I find myself often attached with great sweetness and delight than that of an infant at the mother’s breast; so that, if I dare to use the expression, I should choose to call this state the bosom of God, for the inexpressible sweetness which I taste and experience there.

If sometimes my thoughts wander from it by necessity or infirmity, I am presently recalled by inward motions so charming and delicious that I am ashamed to mention them. I desire your Reverence to reflect rather upon my great wretchedness, of which you are fully informed, than upon the great favors which God does me, all unworthy and ungrateful as I am.

As for my set hours of prayer, they are only a continuation of the same exercise. 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 to make me entirely like Himself.

At other times, when I apply myself to prayer, I feel all my spirit and all my soul lift itself up without any care or effort of mine, and it continues as it were suspended and firmly fixed in God, as in its center and place of rest.

I know that some charge this state with inactivity, delusion, and self-love. I confess that it is a holy inactivity, and would be a happy self-love if the soul in that state were capable of it, because, in effect, while she is in this repose, she cannot be disturbed by such acts as she was former accustomed to, and which were then her support, but which would now rather hinder than assist her.

Yet I cannot bear that this should be called delusion, because the soul which thus enjoys God desires herein nothing but Him. If this be delusion in me, it belongs to God to remedy it. Let Him do what He pleases with me; I desire only Him, and to be wholly devoted to Him. You will, however, oblige me in sending me your opinion, to which I always pay a great deference, for I have a singular esteem for your Reverence, and am in our Lord,

Yours, etc.

God is Blessing You, Right Now!

Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham

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Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over thirty-six years, invites you to enjoy more articles and/or subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter, Spiritual Solutions or go directly to the Spiritual Solutions Blog

If you’d like to receive weekday inspirational quotes, you can subscribe at Rich Words

To make a donation to “Spiritual Solutions,” just go to Send a Love Offering and it will take you to a simple form you can use. Thank you – I am very grateful for your generosity!

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Some of the highlights we learned from the Third Conversation of Brother Lawrence in his book, The Practice of the Presence of God – The Best Rule of a Holy Life, were these:

Once he had established for himself what he felt was the foundation of the spiritual life, he focused on performing all his actions for the love of God to the exclusion of all else. If sometimes he neglected his attention on God’s presence he didn’t waste much time on beating himself up about it but quickly returned to his focus.

His faith and trust in God brought a great awareness of all the blessings he experienced due to this practice, causing him to automatically turn to God for guidance in all his affairs without even having to think about it beforehand.

He didn’t have any great expertise in the formal practice of prayer and meditation; indeed it caused him some anxiety and perplexity. But if in his ordinary everyday affairs he put his attention on God with genuine and loving feelings he was confident in being guided in every aspect of his life; and he felt that no particular knowledge or skill was needed for anyone to experience this for themselves if they would only put the love of God first and foremost in all things.

Now we turn our attention to the Fourth Conversation:

He discoursed with me very frequently, and with great openness of heart, concerning his manner of going to God, whereof some part is related already.

He told me that all consists in one hearty renunciation of everything which we are sensible does not lead to God. That we might accustom ourselves to a continual conversation with Him, with freedom and in 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.

That without being discouraged on account of our sins, we should pray for His grace with a perfect confidence, as relying upon the infinite merits of our Lord Jesus Christ. That God never failed offering His grace at each action; that he distinctly perceived it, and never failed of it, unless when his thoughts had wandered from a sense of God’s presence, or he had forgotten to ask His assistance.

That God always gave us light in our doubts when we had no other design but to please Him.

That our sanctification did not depend upon changing our works, but in doing that for God’s sake which we commonly do for our own. That it was lamentable to see how many people mistook the means for the end, addicting themselves to certain works, which they performed very imperfectly, by reason of their human or selfish regards.

That the most excellent method he had found of going to God was that of doing our common business without any view of pleasing men, and (as far as we are capable) purely for the love of God.

That it was a great delusion to think that the times of prayer ought to differ from other times; that we are as strictly obliged to adhere to God by action in the time of action as by prayer in the season of prayer.

That his prayer was nothing else but a sense of the presence of God, his soul being at tht time insensible to everything but divine love; and that when the appointed times of prayer were past, he found no difference, because he still continued with God, praising and blessing Him with all his might, so that he passed his life in continual joy; yet hoped that God would give him somewhat to suffer when he should grow stronger.

That we ought, once for all, heartily to put our whole trust in God, and make a total surrender of ourselves to Him, secure that He would not deceive us.

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. That we should not wonder if, in the beginning, we often failed in our endeavors, but that at last we should gain a habit, which will naturally produce its acts in us, without our care, and to our exceeding great delight.

That the whole substance of religion was faith, hope, and charity, by the practice of which we become united to the will of God; that all besides is indifferent, and to be used as a means that we may arrive at our end, and be swallowed up therein, by faith and charity.

That all things are possible to him who believes, that they are less difficult to him who hopes; that they are more easy to him who loves, and still more easy to him who perseveres in the practice of these three virtues.

That the end we ought to propose to ourselves is to become, in this life, the most perfect worshipers of God we can possibly be, as we hope to be through all eternity.

That when we enter upon the spiritual life, we should consider and examine to the bottom what we are. And then we should find ourselves worthy of all contempt, and not deserving indeed the name of Christians; subject to all kinds of misery and numberless accidents, which trouble us and cause perpetual vicissitudes in our health, in our humors, in our internal and external dispositions; in fine, persons whom God would humble by many pains and labors, as well within as without. After this we should not wonder that troubles, temptations, oppositions, and contradictions happen to us from men. We ought, on the contrary, to submit ourselves to them, and bear them as long as God pleases, as things highly advantageous to us.

That the greater perfection a soul aspires after, the more dependent it is upon divine grace.

(The particulars which follow are collected from other accounts of Brother Lawrence.)

Being questioned by one of his own society (to whom he was obliged to open himself) by what means he had attained such an habitual sense of God, he told him that, since his first coming to the monastery, he had considered God as the end of all his thoughts and desires, as the mark to which they should tend, and in which they should terminate.

That in the beginning of his novitiate he spent the hours appointed for private prayer in thinking of God, so as to convince his mind of, and to impress deeply upon his heart, the divine existence, rather by devout sentiments, and submission to the lights of faith, than by studied reasonings and elaborate meditations. That by this short and sure method he exercised himself in the knowledge and love of God, resolving to use his utmost endeavor to live in a continual sense of His presence, and, if possible, never to forget Him more.

That when he had thus is prayer filled his mind with great sentiments of that infinite Being, he went to his work appointed in the kitchen (for he was cook to the society). There having first considered severally the things his office required, and when and how each thing was to be done, he spent all the intervals of his time, as well before as after his work, in prayer.

That when he began his business, he said to God, with a filial trust in Him: O my God, since Thou art with me, and I must now, in obedience to Thy commands, apply my mind to these outward things, I beseech Thee to grant me the grace to continue in Thy presence; and to this end do Thou prosper me with Thy assistance, receive all my works, and possess all my affections.

As he proceeded in his work he continued his familiar conversations with his Maker, imploring His grace, and offering to Him all his actions.

When he had finished he examined himself how he had discharged his duty; if he found well, he returned thanks to God; if otherwise, he asked pardon, and, without being discouraged, he set his mind right again, and continued his exercise of the presence of God as if he had never deviated from it. "Thus," said he, "by rising after my falls, and by frequently renewed acts of faith and love, I am come to a state wherein it would be as difficult for me not to think of God as it was at first to accustom my self to it."

As Brother Lawrence had found sucn an advantage in walking in the presence of God, it was natural for him to recommend it earnestly to others; but his example was a stronger inducement than any arguments he could propose. His very countenance was edifying, such a sweet and calm devotion appearing in it as could not but affect the beholders. And it was observed that in the greatest hurry of business in the kitchen he still preserved his recollection and heavenly-mindedness. He was never hasty, nor loitering, but did each thing in its season, with an even, uninterrupted composure and tranquillity of spirit. "The time of business," said he, "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 tranquillity as if I were upon my knees at the blessed sacrament."

God is Blessing You, Right Now!

Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham

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Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over thirty-six years, invites you to enjoy more articles and/or subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter, Spiritual Solutions or go directly to the Spiritual Solutions Blog

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