Russell A. Cardwell Online

Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

—Colossians 3:17

The air surrounds us all the time; we couldn’t live without it. But we don’t ordinarily notice its presence. Only when a fresh breeze caresses our skin or a hurricane uproots a mighty oak do we become aware of it.

So it is with God. As Paul told the Athenians, “In him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28) He makes his presence known to us at various times, but that doesn’t mean we notice him all the time.

Awareness of God’s presence is a skill that requires practice to develop. The first step, according to Brother Lawrence is not so much a change in what we do, but in our attitude about what we do. We do not need to be in church to worship him, he said. We can make our heart a chapel by carrying out our ordinary activities as acts of devotion and love for God. Paul said, “Do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Cor 10:31) If there are activities in our lives that we cannot do for the glory of God, we need to cease doing them. Brother Lawrence described this as eliminating “whatever does not lead to God.”

“Pray without ceasing,” Paul said. (1 Thes 5:17) This is the next step. Brother Lawrence recommended offering brief prayers often during the day, instead of wordy prayers that “encourage wandering thoughts.” I know that in a short time my ADHD brain starts replaying conversations from last week or itemizing to-do’s for next week. It’s heartening to know Brother Lawrence and his readers struggled with the same problem over 300 years ago. Rick Warren suggests short breath prayers—brief phrases or sentences that we can say throughout the day, no matter what we’re doing. Some of my favorites are, “Thy will, not mine, be done,” “I am yours,” or “It’s all about you.” This does not substitute for regular times of prayer, study, and worship. But we should not think of these times as being different from any other. Instead, we should try to draw near to God in our daily activities, just as in our quiet time. This is a way to “take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.” (Romans 12:1)

Third, we are not chasing a feeling or experience of God’s presence. Sometimes his presence is palpable; sometimes not. God sometimes presents us with vivid demonstrations of his presence. Sometimes we are caught up in ecstasy, consumed in worship, or steeped in an exquisite infusion of profound peace. Other times we don’t have any sense of his presence. This is natural—chasing after sensational experiences is not what awareness of God’s presence is about. C. S. Lewis calls these experiences signposts. They are not the goal; they simply point the way to it. They are more significant early in our relationship with God. As Lewis described it, if we are lost in a wilderness and come upon a signpost after long wandering, it is much different than if we are traveling the King’s highway and have been passing signposts at regular intervals. We should be grateful for them, but should not stop to admire them, but rather “press on toward the goal.” (Phil 3:14) Awareness of God’s presence is not a sensation, but a way of living in relationship with him.

A great and strong wind tore into the mountains, . . . but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

—1 Kings 19:11-12

Only when he heard the still, small voice did Elijah step forth to speak with God.

We do not have to stand outside during a hurricane to be aware of the air. All we need do is breathe. And so with God. He is with us in good times and bad, in triumphs and in trials, in mourning and in dancing. When we go out weeping, and when we return in joy, he is with us. Through the high points, the low points, and all those ordinary, everyday points in between, he is there.

In fact, Jesus was called Emmanuel—”God with us.” (Matt 1:23) He is always present; whether we are aware of him depends on us.

And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

—Matt 28:20

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