Practicing the Presence of God

By Michael Richards

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first Commandment” Mathew 22:37-28

Faith is more than just reading your Bible, going to church and doing good works. Our works without God is not only useless, but it is also a sin (Rom.14:23). When we do good works for God, we should not do it for ourselves to make ourselves feel good (Matt. 6: 2-4). Any work we do should reflect our faith, so that by our works others may see our faith (James 2:18). The First Great Commandment of God is the foundation of faith, even more so than the ever more popular Second Great Commandment (Love your neighbor as yourself).

God is always with us and even sent the Holy Spirit to be our teacher (John 14:26), comforter and overall companion in our faith. Even though He dwells within all believers (John 14:17), I find it awkward that He is often ignored in our prayers and in our daily lives. Most people think of God as some king clothed in majesty, sitting in heaven looking down upon all His people, or as Christ who became the sacrifice for all of our sins. Yet, God gave us another part of Himself so that we could build a relationship with Him.

Its probably best to mention that the mere proclamation of belief is not faith. Real faith is the firm belief in your heart that God is always present and wants to spend time with you and work with you in your faith. Its coming to the recognition that the only thing keeping you back is your sins, which are forgiven through Christ. Lastly faith is the belief that God is what gives your life meaning and that He didn't ask for some of you; He wants all of you. At my church we often pray “I proclaim with my mouth and believe in my heart”. Our verbal proclamations and our actions should reflect the belief which stems from our hearts. This is best done by having a relationship with God, not merely a knowledge of Him. To have this relationship, we must first believe He is really there.

The best way to remember God is always there is to practice the presence of God. Its best to start by remembering God is there when you do little everyday things (like chores or work). Do those little chores or typical work at your job as if you are doing it for God. Talk with God as if He is really there (because He is). Also keep in mind God's presence when you feel you are being tempted, especially as your emotions begin to flair up. Also, find something you really don't do often (or even want to do) and do it for the sake of God (like those chores you don't like or talking with the person at work who aggravates you).

It's best to start small. Its not easy to practice God's presence, but over time you will find that the relationship you build with God will astound you and be a huge blessing. It's always important, that while you are practicing, keep in mind that the Holy Spirit is there with you every step of the way. Before going to the Father with your prayers, ask the Holy Spirit to help guide those prayers in a way that will be pleasing to the Father. Keep the whole Trinity of God in mind in your prayers. I felt that has helped not only my prayer life, but my walk with God as well.

(Note: This article was inspired by the book Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. I highly recommend reading it.)