The Practice of the Presence of God

by Brother Lawrence

The Practice of the Presence of God is a text compiled by Father Joseph de Beaufort of the wisdom and teachings of Brother Lawrence, a 17th century Carmelite monk. It is a collection of his letters, and records made, by other participants in them, of his conversations. A constant theme is the development of an awareness of the presence of God.

42 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 4, 2019

About the author

Brother Lawrence was born Nicolas Herman in Hériménil, near Lunéville in the region of Lorraine, located in modern day eastern France and as a young man went into the army due to his poverty. At the age of 18 he received what he felt was a revelation of the providence and power of God. He went on to fight in the Thirty Years' War and later served as a valet, but within six years joined the Discalced Carmelite Priory in Paris.

Nicolas entered the priory in Paris as a lay brother, not having the education necessary to become a cleric, and took the religious name, "Lawrence of the Resurrection." He spent almost all of the rest of his life within the walls of the priory, working in the kitchen for many of these years and as a repairer of sandals in his later years.

Despite his lowly position in the life of the priory, his character attracted many to him. He had a reputation for experiencing profound peace and visitors came to seek spiritual guidance from him. The wisdom he passed on to them in conversations and in letters would later become the basis for the book The Practice of the Presence of God.

[From Wikipedia]

Reviews

[Reagan Dricken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brother Lawrence is a poor man’s Carmelite, in the best way. If Thérèse is Teresa of Avila’s spiritual daughter, Brother Lawrence is John of the Cross’ spiritual son. You would think he was Thérèse’s twin had he not lived 200 years before her. Why did it take me until 2025 to read him? I don’t know. He lays out the big picture of Mount Carmel in the simplest and most direct of terms, as well as making it abundantly practical and simple (though far from easy). For all you Thérèse fans out there, you don’t know what you’re missing if you haven’t read Brother Lawrence.

[Mary Ellis Frutchey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly how I aspire to live my life. Definitely going to reread this in more depth. This book can make you feel like you haven’t even scratched the surface in knowing God, yet provides such hope and practicality in knowing Him deeper.

[Kyle Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

gas

[Nicole Laet · Rating 5 out of 5]

a lot of knowledge and i appreciate the tone the author wrote the letters in as well. you can tell he was just SO in love with God

[Miranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audio format and liked it so much that I bought the paper copy. There is so much wisdom packed into this small volume. It only takes an hour or so to read, but there will be many things you want to highlight or write down. Absolutely a book I will return to.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

4.5/10
-Story / Structure:+.5
-Characters: +.5
-Writing style:+1
-Pacing: +1
-Ending:+1
-Accuracy:+.5
-Emotional impact:+0
-Overall enjoyment: +0
-Did The Author Impact My Viewpoint:+0
-Would I Recommend / Reread:+0

[Richard Hounslow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this as a late teen, absolute all-time awesome. Eckhart Tolle Practicing the Power of Now on Steroids. How I lost this out of my life and refound it, is beyond me?

[Samantha Aman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick read, would be good to use as devotional over a couple weeks. I enjoyed listening to it all in one session though.