The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
Week 1: Editor's Preface — The Man Behind the Method
Read the Editor's Preface of The Practice of the Presence of God.
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Before we encounter Brother Lawrence's teaching, we meet the man himself — a crippled, self-deprecating former soldier and kitchen cook whose quiet life became one of the most influential spiritual testimonies in Christian history. Take a few minutes before you begin the questions to simply sit with the strangeness and beauty of that fact.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.The editor tells us that Brother Lawrence's birth records were destroyed in a war he himself fought in, and that the war left him crippled and in chronic pain for the rest of his life. What does it tell you about God's ways that the man who would teach the world about joyful, continuous communion with God spent his entire adult life in physical suffering?
2.Brother Lawrence entered the monastery expecting to be punished for his clumsiness and faults — to 'sacrifice his life with its pleasures to God.' Instead, the editor notes, 'God surprised him because he met with nothing but satisfaction.' Have you ever approached God bracing for judgment and been surprised by grace instead? What happened?
3.The editor describes Brother Lawrence as a man who 'shunned attention and the limelight, knowing that outside distraction spoils all.' It was only after his death that his letters were collected and published.
a.Why do you think obscurity and hiddenness seemed natural — even necessary — to Brother Lawrence's way of life?
b.In your own life, do you find that public attention to your spiritual life helps or hinders your actual experience of God's presence? Be honest.
4.For roughly forty years, Brother Lawrence worked in the kitchen and then the sandal shop — unglamorous, repetitive, physically painful work. The editor says he discovered 'a pure and uncomplicated way to walk continually in God's presence' precisely there. What does this say about where we might expect to grow spiritually, versus where we actually do?
5.The editor notes that Brother Lawrence's first ten years in the monastery 'were full of severe trials and challenges.' We sometimes assume that those who seem most spiritually mature have always found faith easy. How does knowing that Brother Lawrence struggled for a decade before finding his footing change the way you read this book — or the way you think about your own spiritual journey?
6.Brother Lawrence died in 1691, and the editor says his 'quiet death was much like his monastic life where each day and each hour was a new beginning and a fresh commitment to love God with all his heart.' What would it look like for your own daily life to have that quality — each hour as a fresh beginning? What would have to change?
7.The editor frames the entire book around this promise: that 'anyone, regardless of age or circumstance, can practice [the presence of God] — anywhere, anytime.' Do you believe that? What in your circumstances feels like the biggest obstacle to practicing it yourself?
Closing Prayer
Lord, we come to this book as Brother Lawrence came to the monastery — perhaps with low expectations of ourselves, uncertain what we will find. Thank You that You are a God who surprises people with grace. You surprised a clumsy, lame ex-soldier in a noisy kitchen, and we ask You to surprise us too. Where we have assumed that our circumstances are too ordinary, too painful, or too busy for genuine communion with You, show us that You are already there. Teach us, in these weeks, to begin. And when we fail — as Brother Lawrence often did — grant us the grace to rise and begin again. For Your love's sake. Amen.
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