✨ The Practice of His Presence — Living in the Center of the Soul
✨ The Practice of His Presence — Living in the Center of the Soul
“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know Him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened…”
— Ephesians 1:17-18
🌿 Made for Daily Communion
You and I were made for daily encounters with the living Christ.
Not just Sabbath meetings or temple trips, but an unbroken walk with Him — a life where prayer and presence are woven into every ordinary moment.
Brother Lawrence called it “the practice of the presence of God.”
He said:
“I keep myself retired with Him in the depth of the center of my soul… and while I am so with Him, I fear nothing.”
A humble man washing dishes in a monastery kitchen found heaven in the soap bubbles because his heart was awake to the Presence.
We live in an age drowning in distraction — screens, noise, endless motion. Yet God still whispers:
“Be still, and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10
Stillness isn’t emptiness. It’s fullness.
It’s the heart returning home — to the quiet center where Christ already dwells.
🛐 Who Was Brother Lawrence?
Brother Lawrence (born Nicolas Herman, c. 1614 – 1691) was a lay brother in a Carmelite monastery in Paris. He wasn’t a priest or theologian — just the cook and sandal-repairer. But his simple intimacy with God changed countless lives.
After his death, friends gathered his letters and conversations into a small book, The Practice of the Presence of God. It became one of the most beloved devotional works in Christian history.
His secret was beautifully simple:
“Lift up your heart to Him the very moment you realize you’ve wandered. Return instantly. There need be no elaborate ceremony. A little remembrance of God, an interior act of love, is enough.”
He found that God was as near while washing pots as during communion. His life became a living sermon — constant prayer in motion.
🔍 “Mystics” — The Saints of Presence
The word mystic sounds odd today, almost suspicious — but in earlier centuries it simply meant those who walked closely with God.
The Greek word mystikos meant “one initiated into divine mystery.” Over time it came to describe believers who experienced the reality of God rather than just talking about it.
So when we speak of Christian mystics — Augustine, Francis of Assisi, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Julian of Norwich, the Desert Fathers and Mothers — we’re really speaking of saints of presence: men and women who loved Jesus deeply and lived continually in His light.
Mysticism was never meant to be elitist. It was simply the normal Christian life — daily, conscious union with the Savior.
💖 Truth Beyond the Fence
Sometimes we Latter-day Saints forget that the Spirit of God has been working on this earth since the beginning — long before there was an organization, a ward, or a handbook.
Martin Luther reformed what had been lost.
Joseph Smith restored what had been taken.
And since then, the Lord has continued to inspire millions who never sat in a chapel or held a priesthood card.
Mother Teresa nursed the dying in the gutters of Calcutta.
Brother Lawrence found heaven in the kitchen.
I’ve met men on the golf course whose quiet goodness outshines many of the “righteous” who sit in the pews.
Goodness and grace aren’t confined to one denomination — they are the fingerprints of the Living Christ in every willing heart.
“The Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil.” — Moroni 7:16
That’s the test — not who holds a title, but who lives by the Spirit.
🔥 Scripture Echoes of the Inner Life
Book of Mormon
“The Holy Ghost … will show unto you all things what ye should do.” — 2 Nephi 32:5
“This is my doctrine … that the Father commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent and believe in me.” — 3 Nephi 11:32
To repent means to turn again — back toward the Presence we’ve drifted from.
Nemenhah Records
“I have found that to retire into the stillness and wait upon the Peacemaker is to find life. For His voice is peace, and His peace is life.”
— Book of Tsihmlayi 3:14
The Peacemaker’s voice is discovered in stillness — the same inner sanctuary Brother Lawrence described.
Bible
“If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” — John 14:23
That’s the end goal of all faith — abiding union with Him.
🌸 A Word for the Weary
If your soul feels scattered, stop chasing more noise.
Sit where you are.
Breathe.
Whisper His name.
Let the light flood your heart again.
The Father is not far away — He’s already here, waiting for you to notice.
💫 Poem — Dwelling in You
Within this quiet, hidden room,
Beneath the mind’s relentless bloom,
There You await — no trumpet, no flame,
Only the whisper of Your name.Not high above, but deep within,
The heart’s true altar — free from sin.
Hold me there, steady, free from fear,
My soul’s slow turn — drawing near.In every breath, in common call,
Your Presence reigns, sustaining all.
Stay with me, Lord, and I will see —
You dwell, Beloved, You dwell in me.
🌄 Closing Thought
“Mystics” weren’t strange — they were simply believers who refused to live without Jesus near.
You don’t need a monastery or a title.
You just need a willing heart.
Keep returning — again and again — to the center of your soul where Christ abides.
“Be still. Know. Abide.” — Psalm 46:10
🎥 COME JOIN ME ON YOUTUBE
Friends, if this message spoke to your heart,
I’d love to have you visit my YouTube channel — The True Remnant —
where I share these same thoughts in simple, honest video form.
👉 YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@TheTrueRemnant
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