Living Presence: A Guide to Everyday Awareness of God

by Marshall Davis

From the This book is about living every moment in the Presence of God. It is a call to spiritual awakening. What this book describes is not science fiction, but spiritual reality. It is an invitation to see the universe as it really is. It is a summons to discover a spiritual Truth that is hiding in plain sight. It is pointed to in many spiritual traditions of the world, and especially the Christian tradition. The Jewish and Christian scriptures are filled with examples of people who woke up. The Hebrew patriarch Jacob woke up physically and spiritually during a night in the wilderness. After having a vision of a portal between heaven and earth, Jacob exclaimed, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!” (Genesis 28:16-17) Enoch was the first to wake up. Job woke up. Moses was awakened when he saw a bush burning with an eternal flame. The message he heard was “I AM.” The apostle Paul woke up while traveling on a road to Damascus. Most famously Jesus woke up while being baptized in the Jordan River. He proceeded to proclaim the message of spiritual awakening. He called it the Kingdom of God. This clear and direct awareness of the presence of God is not just for prophets and apostles. This is available to anyone. Jesus knew this Reality and prayed that his followers may know this for themselves. He prayed, “that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us.… that they may be one just as We are I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one….” (John 17:21-23) Across the centuries contemplatives in the Christian tradition have called this “union with God.” The apostle Paul called it “having the mind of Christ” (I Corinthians 2:16) and “the eyes of your understanding being enlightened.” (Ephesians 1:18) It is a constant awareness of oneness with the Divine. The seventeenth century monk Brother Lawrence called it simply “the Presence of God.” Other traditions use terms like enlightenment, liberation, release, or freedom. Christians tend to use the word “God” to point to this Absolute Reality. But Christian thinkers like Paul Tillich use terms like Being, Being Itself, and the Ground of Being. Whatever words one uses, it is clear that this is a phenomenon that transcends religious boundaries and definitions. This direct awareness of God is here now. This book describes this consciousness in Christian terms, using Biblical scriptures and examples. It is addressed primarily to Christians. This author is a Christian speaking to Christians in the context of the gospel of Jesus Christ. But this book intended to reach beyond the Christian faith community. It transcends religion and points to a spiritual awareness of Divine Reality that refuses to be imprisoned by human names and definitions. When Moses insisted on having a divine name to use in his preaching, the Divine One replied, “I WHO I AM. Tell them I AM sent you.” The only way to know who we truly are is to know I AM. This book is an invitation to awake to that Reality and become a “new creation.”

52 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 28, 2013

Reviews

[David S Harvey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A gentle intro to thinking about God’s presence

This little book is a little rambling and vague for my liking. It seems that David has tried to write an on ramp to thinking about the subject that will lead to reading his translation of Brother Lawrence’s classic on the same subject. However the text is a little shallow and, albeit short, lacking in substantial content. It reads more like a short devotional or set of sermons or blog posts. For those with no experience of the subject they may find this a helpful place to think a little bit about a new subject.

[illesmolnar · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's just as great as short. I have read loads of books on Christian mysticism, contemplative Christianity, Christian nondualism, but this is actually the one you need. Spare some time, skip the others.

"This powerful experience of God is not just for apostles and prophets, monks in a monastery, ascetics in the desert, or gurus on a mountaintop. This awareness of God is available to everyone all the time. It is always present because God is always present. It is just that we have so much else going on in our heads and hearts that we miss it. We miss God! All we have to do is pay attention to the presence of God for a moment. All it takes is a few seconds – if we can manage that - of not thinking about ourselves. If we do that, then we notice God."

[Ruby Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being in God’s presence

“Worry is nothing more than fear. When we worry we are afraid of something that might happen or not happen. A lot of life anguish and emotional suffering of life stems from our inability to let go of fear”. The ending of the book talks about letting go in different areas of our lives. Marshall Davis did a great job up until the last page I wasn’t ready to let go of this book.

[Louis Flores · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like " The Practice of the Presence of God" , then...

He breaks down the joy that comes from living in the moment. When you surrender all those concepts and just learn to be in the moment., then you will experience a freedom unlike anything you've ever felt before.

[Deborah Maxey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, this author is such a gifted writer

I’ve read several of his books now. He can take complex ideas, explain, use metaphors and his own wording, to weave great clarity.

[Milica Jensen]

Enjoyed it. There’s some really good points in the book that I’ve not thought about before