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Contents
The Actual Presence Of God
The Gift Of Humility
At One With God
In Spirit And In Truth
The Actual Presence Of God
1. "I make it my priority to persevere in His holy presence, wherein I maintain a simple attention and a fond regard for God, which I may call an actual presence of God."
... Brother Lawrence
How light the life that dwells in God's presence! When we engage in continual conversation with God; walk with Him in faith, humility, simplicity, and
love; and think, say, or do nothing that may displease God, we live in His kingdom on earth as we hope to live with Him in heaven.
When we often speak a silent, 'Thank You, Father' and make the words and example of the Son, God made visible to us, our own words, our will becomes
Our Father's will.
The days flow by because we are in harmony with all of Our Father's creation. He refreshes us each day and, whether in suffering or consolation, the
richness of holy freedom and the peace that surpasses all understanding is enough and more than enough. When we live in this simple way, we experience an actual presence of God. Aided by the right
use of the imagination that God gave us, we live in a way that is more real, more clear, and more practical than anything we have ever known before.
We cannot help but look around us and, as Brother Lawrence sometimes commented that he could not understand why so many settled for so few of the
favors God wanted to give, we, too, may wonder. Yet, knowing Our Father has His ways and reasons and He is always moving in hearts, whether we see it or not, our part is to simply let Him work
through us in any way He sees fit. Above all else, we are even more humbled and grateful that He called us to Him.
Who would ever have thought that God would use some letters and a few conversations from gentle and quiet Brother Lawrence to deliver one of the
simplest explanations of God's will for each and every one of His children? As we can easily see from his own comments and remarks, Brother Lawrence certainly had no idea of this.
Brother Lawrence focused his entire attention on pleasing God in little everyday matters just as they happened. His earthly reward was living in God's
actual presence. Yet, through his desire that God use him as He pleased, we have a legacy that can be claimed by anyone, at any time, and in any circumstance. Simple, direct, and no-nonsense, the
practice of the presence of God works!
May God open the eyes of the skeptics and cynics, who want so much to believe, but are enslaved by their own intellect and worldly thinking. May Our
Merciful Father touch the hearts of those who are prisoners of the mind, so they may experience His fullness of joy.
2. When we live in the actual presence of God, our wish, as was the wish of Brother Lawrence, is to be able to say that, in the end, we have done all that is in us to love Our Father. When
we live in the actual presence of God, we naturally and constantly look for ways to please Him. The thought that we can never do enough is not a worry to us but a happy thought that keeps us joyfully
looking for little extras and new ways to please Him. Though we cannot surprise God, we can delight Him; and that is always a happy thought.
Our Lord said: "Does the servant deserve thanks because he did what he was obliged to do? Likewise, when you have done all the things which are
required of you, say, I am an unprofitable servant. I have done that which was my duty to do."
In God's kingdom and presence we are held to a higher standard. In the book of Matthew, chapter five, we find Our Lord's words to those who would be
Our Father's true children, "Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, there is no way you shall enter the kingdom of heaven." In the beginning of our
practice, we discover, often for the first time, our real duties to God. As we perform our duties, tasks, assignments, jobs, and chores in fresh faith, we rise to the level of unprofitable
servant.
Though becoming an unprofitable servant is a first step, an achievement in overcoming our worldliness, we also see that we deserve no thanks for doing
what God expects of us. The thanks, the praise, the credit, and the glory belongs solely to God.
How different this is from the ways of the world where thanks and praise are not only expected but demanded and often for mediocre or shoddy
performance. Worldly people look to be served and look down on serving. The world of man boasts of service and quality but frequently delivers the substandard calling it 'good enough'. When we make
God our priority and persevere in His holy presence, we will soon gladly part with our old worldly and selfish ways.
As we become established in the practice of the presence of God we have new hope. We also have new opportunities to become more than an unprofitable
or adequate servant. When we become established in the practice of the presence of God we no longer think along the lines of duty because we do all we do, in the words of Brother Lawrence, "without
any other view than purely for the love of God, and because He deserves infinitely more."
In this way, we may move beyond the level of unprofitable servant when we live, "for the love of God, seeking Him only, and nothing else, not even His
gifts." Most important to us in our daily practice of the holy habit, however, is to simply do all that is in us to love Him, letting Our Father do with us as He pleases. This is ever our daily
source of joy.
3. The actual presence "is an habitual, silent, and private conversation of the soul with God". ... Brother Lawrence
A continual conversation of the soul with God is the way to experience life at its highest spiritual quality. This is the purest form of worship and is
available to each and every one of God's children. Nothing is more personally delightful to us or more pleasing to God than an habitual, silent, and private conversation of the soul with Him.
This conversation means far more than we might consider it today. Far greater than an exchange of words and thoughts, it is a deep involvement and
sharing of the sweetness of God's nature. No ordinary conversation, the conversation of the soul with God, whether we are aware of it or not, is the true, clear, and fresh air that sustains our life.
The presence of God is actual. It is real. To live in a continual conversation of the soul with God is to experience God's kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
The difference between life and death is that, in what we call life, we experience God's presence in a temporal and earthly way; whereas, in death, His
presence is everlasting and heavenly. Granted, the divine and heavenly way must be superior to anything we can comprehend while on earth. However, our experience of the actual presence of God is
enough to fill us with peace and gentle joy on earth and hope for heaven.
4. Habitual. Silent. Private. These three characteristics are what make the actual presence of God possible. They are the only way to have an authentic and ongoing conversation of the soul
with Our Father. And when we notice that they involve no special knowledge or training, we understand how living in the presence of God is available to anyone and everyone. In fact, when we merely
glance at the words - habitual, silent, private, does it not seem natural and evident that this should be God's will for each of His children?
That the conversation is habitual is the direct result of becoming established in the practice of the presence of God. The essential simplicity of the
practice of the presence of God is this: instead of focusing on all our bad habits and attempting to correct them through our own self-discipline and will power, we turn our attention exclusively to
God and, in faith that amounts to total reliance and trust in Him, let Him do with us as He sees fit.
When we banish our pride and accept that He knows us better than we know ourselves, when we take that giant step into humility, we acknowledge that He
is the only one who knows what is best for us. He brought us into being. He loves us. He will bring us into His image and likeness.
During this time of becoming established in the practice of the presence of God, we have three things we must faithfully do: cooperate, persist, and
persevere. If all we can do is silently repeat, 'Thank You, Father' -no matter what and in the face of what seems utterly hopeless, then this is perfectly acceptable in His sight. As long as we
continue to turn our attention to God, we fortify the holy habit -no matter what!
When we become established in the practice of the presence of God, cooperation, persistence, and perseverance bring us into conformity with God's will
and we want what He wants. When we become established in the practice of the presence of God, the conversation of the soul is the fabric of our physical and spiritual nature. The only way we think
about the conversation of the soul with God, in the sense of using our mind to consciously examine something, is, perhaps, to contemplate the misery and horror of life without His presence.
Another way of describing the habitual aspect of the conversation of the soul with God is by using the words constant and natural. Whether God's work
in us has been rapid or gradual, we come to feel that the practice of His presence is completely natural and constant. The holy habit is ongoing and becomes so integrated into our being that it is
the unifying principle of who we are.
5. The practice of the presence of God, the ongoing conversation of the soul with Him, is silent and private. More than anything else, these two aspects are what make our relationship with
Our Father personal, unique, and exclusive. Though each of us who practice God's presence share the same goal of becoming wholly His, because of the unique and exclusive nature of the practice, no
two relationships are the same. The benefit for each of us is that God uses our individuality in the way that best pleases Him and, united with His will, if it delights Him then it delights us.
When we thoroughly comprehend that each relationship with Our Father is unique, we understand that we can never judge another's practice without
greatly displeasing God and jeopardizing our own relationship with Him. This gives us tremendous personal freedom to be ourselves with God because we no longer have the enslaving need to compare
ourselves with others. We have but one true, loving, and real Master to please.
Our ongoing conversation of the soul with God, the holy habit of living in His presence is private. O, Dear One, take a moment to consider this
astonishing fact: No one or nothing on this earth can violate the privacy of our relationship with God.
The conversation of the soul that comes from our habit of practicing God's presence is confidential and, set with His sacred seal, belongs wholly to
Him. At all times, in these days, and at this moment, our conversation of the soul with God is secure. Silent and private, with no outward ritual or ceremony involved, our relationship with Our
Father is completely reliable and true. Let us take all the comfort and assurance God intends for us in this most wonderful fact! Thank You, Father' and 'Thank You, Father'.
The Gift Of Humility
1. "When an occasion of practicing some virtue was offered, Brother Lawrence addressed himself to God, saying, 'Lord, I cannot do this unless Thou enablest me' and then he received
strength more than sufficient."
Every virtue, every good thing, and every worthy thought, word, and deed is made so by humility. As we become established in the practice of God's
presence, we come to see that, without humility, there is no center or solid foundation because humility is the very nature and way of God.
Humility is to stand in awe of a Creator of the entire universe, all that we know of it and all that we do not know of it, and be caught up in wonder
as He continuously creates at every moment and every pause between moments. Everything that ever was, is now, and ever will be exists at the Hand of One Maker.
Humility is the surprise, shock, and delight that this Mighty Creator, of whose work we are made spellbound and speechless, is Our Father. In fact, His
sole intention in bringing us into earthly being is to have a personal relationship that is and always will be, like the magnificence of His creation, greater than we can possibly comprehend.
It is this same humility, ever a mystery, that takes us beyond faith, hope, and charity; beyond this earthly life; and beyond our human gifts and
abilities, into the mighty arms of Our Father in His kingdom. As He gives His gift of humility, He reveals His presence. As we accept His gift, we are filled with joy.
2. Our Lord said, "Learn from me because I am meek and lowly of heart." He said that the only way to know Our Father was through Him and "If you know me, you know the Father." How it all
comes together when we begin to understand this!
Only through the practice of the presence of God and living in the world but not of the world do we understand the attraction, wholly
compelling, to learn from the Master of Meekness and Humility. Only through the narrow gate of humility, following in the footsteps of Our Lord can we truly learn to know the joy of Our Father's
kingdom.
As we learn to know, love, and serve God through simply practicing His presence, the words of Our Lord reveal the extent of the gift of humility we
receive: "blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear. Many prophets and righteous men have desired to see the things you see and they have not seen them. They have desired to
hear the things you hear, and have not heard them."
3. Brother Lawrence said, "as far as the miseries and sins he heard of daily in the world, he was so far from wondering at them, that, on the contrary, he was surprised there were not more
considering the malice sinners were capable of. For his part, he prayed for them. But knowing that God could remedy the mischief they did when He pleased, he gave himself no further trouble."
Meek, humble, tender, gentle, mild, kind. These words find no welcome in a world that associates them with weakness and impotence. These words find no
welcome in a world that values, instead, words such as power, persuasion, cleverness, cunning, force, and winning at all costs. Yet, where there is no meekness, no humility, no tenderness; where
there is no gentleness, mildness, or kindness; there is no peace. There is no joy. There is no life.
If ever we should feel surrounded on all sides, pressured, or tempted to doubt, we must beg Our Father to help us see things as they are and not as we
wish them to be. We must ask Him to show us the truth. We must beg God to cleanse us of any of our own selfish worldliness because Our Lord said that offense must be, but the grevious sin clings to
the one who gives offense.
We must ask Our Father to give us that which comes with His gift of humility -the strength and courage to step away and stand apart. We must quietly
slip away and enter into His presence. Like Our Lord, who took every available opportunity to go off alone with Our Father, we, too, must seek every available opportunity to be alone with Him. Like
Our Lord, who, in the midst of the multitude, constantly and silently communed with Our Father, we, too, must constantly and silently commune with Him.
Brother Lawrence said: "We cannot escape the dangers which abound in life without the actual and continual help of God. Let us pray to Him for it
constantly." When we remain consciously and purposefully in God's presence we find His meekness, humility, tenderness, gentleness, mildness, and kindness, in the words of Brother Lawrence, "more than
sufficient."
4. "Let us generously renounce, for the love of Him, all that is not Himself. He deserves infinitely more. Let us think of Him perpetually. Let us put all our trust in Him." ... Brother
Lawrence
Humility is the key to surrender, losing our selfishness and worldliness, and turning from everything that does not glorify God. When, through the
practice of the presence of God, we find, like Brother Lawrence, that "the least turning from Him is insupportable," we start to experience true humility. We begin to understand, in a deep way, that
we cannot do anything without Our Father's grace and blessing.
Our initial fear of loss of identity by surrendering ourselves to God is very real because it involves the unknown. This fear is only overcome by
humble faith when we recognize our own insufficiency. Through humble faith we come to see the truth simply stated by Brother Lawrence: "We are made for God alone, who can only be pleased when we turn
away from ourselves to devote ourselves to Him."
We persist in practicing His presence. We continue to engage in conversation with Him. Then God moves and we know something big has happened. For a
time we may grieve the loss of our old self. For a time we may feel like a faceless wanderer. Yet, when we become established in the practice of the presence of God, we realize that, for the first
time, we have a true identity; the lasting identity of God's child of light.
By simply practicing God's presence in the manner of Brother Lawrence, we now really understand what Our Lord meant by: "He who loses his life for
my sake will find it."
At One With God
1. When God calls us to come to Him, often through suffering, affliction, and privation, we begin to look around us for the true way, the lighted path. Sometimes we become aware that we
have been on a lifelong quest and our search takes on heightened intensity. We are done with methods, courses, and theories that promise all and deliver little. Now we must have nothing short of
simply knowing how to become wholly God's.
Brother Lawrence reached this point. He could no longer accept the mediocre and unnecessarily complicated procedures found in the books he read. God
turned Brother Lawrence's utter frustration into strength to break through and he wrote:
"This made me resolve to give the all for the All. After having given myself wholly to God, to make all the satisfaction I could for my sins, I
renounced, for the love of Him, everything that was not God, and I began to live as if there was none but He and I in the world."
These are often the very words, when we read Brother Lawrence's letters for the first time, that create an instant bond of friendship, because we have
found a kindred spirit in this gentle man who lived over three hundred years ago. And, perhaps, we begin to see that this truly is God's way. When God compels us to come to Him it is as if He says,
'Enough, My Child. Enough. Put all else aside and simply come to me. I am right here.'
2. "I renounced, for the love of Him, everything that was not God." Brother Lawrence renounced -quit, gave up, stopped doing anything that did not clearly reflect the image and likeness of
God and the right-this-moment awareness of Him. When we do this we simply decide to stop doing anything that could possibly displease or offend God; anything of which we are aware and anything He
brings to our attention.
This is why we must engage in continual conversation with God. It is also the reason why, at the same time, we must become deeply involved in His word.
Especially in the beginning, when we are unclear whether our thoughts are from our own habits of thinking or from the spirit of God, His word, as faithfully recorded by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John,
provides the way to sort out our thoughts and calm our confusion.
In time, as we form a habit of conversing with God and becoming immersed in His word, we find our mind more naturally takes on the thoughts of God. The
words of Our Lord, parables, mental pictures, and the atmosphere of the entire message colors our every thought and enlivens our imagination and creativity.
As we empty our mind of thoughts of self and fill them with thoughts of God, so, too, our heart opens to Him. At this point we come to know the voice
of the Good Shepherd and are no longer deceived by the voice of self, false gods, or the hirelings described in the parable.
Brother Lawrence wrote: "I began to live as if there was none but He and I in the world." This is truly something that only one who experiences
it can understand. The sense of calm and tranquility that fills us is beyond description. We are at one with God. We come to love all His creation in a way we never knew before. All is His and it is
good.
When we live from this perspective, we become so united with Our Father that we need never experience loneliness again. Each day, as we bring this
awareness into our thoughts, words, and actions, we experience a growing appreciation for His Divine Companionship. United with the Living God, we are ever humbled.
3. "I know that for the right practice of it, the heart must be empty of all other things; because God will possess the heart alone. As He cannot possess it alone, without emptying it of
all besides, so neither can He act there and do in it what He pleases unless it be left vacant to Him." ... Brother Lawrence
Dear One, notice that it is God who does the emptying: 'He cannot possess it alone, without emptying it of all besides'. How often God does this
to draw us to Him! He will do the emptying in the way that is best and according to His will for each of us. He has to weaken us in order to rid us of any small, mean, lazy, or tyrannical ways. He
has to bring any of our weak, petty, lying, conceited, hypocritical, selfishness into obedience.
If left alone, this is the little self we would rather reserve for our defense 'in case of emergency'. What we cannot see is that this
is the emergency and the ways of our little self, if left unchecked, would soon rob us of God's tender care. They would ultimately prevent our experiencing God's fullness of joy. So it is and
must be God who clears the way so that all we finally need to say is, 'Yes, Lord'.
Sometimes, by the time He leads us to these words of Brother Lawrence, our heart has already been emptied. Then we discover that Brother Lawrence
describes what we thought no one else ever experienced. And now we begin to comprehend the words of Our Lord to His disciples especially near the end of His earthly life.
Our eyes are also newly opened to the truth that only Christ, God made visible, can reveal. This is the truth given to Him by Our Father to reveal to
those He chooses. We realize that we can only begin to understand when we are made ready. And each day our understanding is enough and more than enough.
God cannot possess the heart alone without first emptying it of all else. These words speak of the promise of the fruit that is to come of the seeds
God has planted within our heart. When a heart is left vacant, though we may feel totally bereft; filled with physical, mental, and emotional pain; overcome with spiritual anguish; God is at
work.
God acts in the heart that He has emptied, the heart that is open to Him. We cannot see Him. We cannot hear Him. His manner is quiet and quite
invisible to us. His ways are incomprehensible. Only the faith that we do not think we have, that tiny little mustard seed, somehow keeps us afloat while we feel utterly lost at sea.
We now hold fast to the truth about Our Father: God wants us. He loves us. Yes, unworthy as we are, He wants to finish making us into His child of
light and joy!
In Spirit And In Truth
1. "It is a great delusion to think our times of prayer ought to differ from other times. We are as strictly obliged to cleave to God by action in the time of action as by prayer in the
time of prayer." ... Brother Lawrence
In spirit and in truth. To those of us who practice God's presence in the manner of Brother Lawrence, this is the most lovely of phrases used by Our
Lord. 'In spirit and in truth' appeals to the poetic and refined part of our nature as well as the simple and practical aspect. This lovely concept is the foundation of all of Brother Lawrence's
letters and conversations because it is the very foundation of the practice of the presence of God.
Our Lord used this phrase in His conversation with the Samaritan woman He met at Jacob's well. The entire exchange took place in a matter of minutes
and was ended by the return of Jesus' disciples from their errand. Yet, there is so much nourishment in this conversation, which includes Christ's reference to living water, that we find a complete
feast that ends with the exquisite concept of worshipping Our Father in spirit and in truth.
That Our Lord held the conversation with this particular Samaritan woman is, in itself, most interesting and shows the contrast between the prevailing
base and worldly attitudes and Our Lord's new message about a godly attitude. Here was a woman, a Samaritan who differed in religious practice from the Jews, and a confessed sinner, whom Jesus
befriended and showered with His words of grace.
The world would say He cast his pearls before swine. Our Lord saw an honest child with an open heart. Though she probably did not understand 'in spirit
and in truth' at the instant He used the phrase, Our Lord knew that He had captured one heart forever. In fact, just like the meaning of the phrase itself, 'in spirit and in truth', this is God's way
and manner of drawing us to Him -one precious child at a time.
Brother Lawrence noted that, in practicing God's presence, there is no difference between the time of prayer and the time of action. They are not
mutually exclusive. On the contrary, prayer time and work time flow together seamlessly, often overlapping and to the point where there is no visible difference between works and worship.
If, in the practice of the presence of God, we do all we do for Him, then we live in the rhythm of Our Lord's most lovely phrase: "But the hour comes,
and is now, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father seeks such people to worship Him. God is a Spirit. Those who worship Him must worship Him in
spirit and in truth."
2. "The most excellent method of going to God is that of doing our common business without any view of pleasing people but purely for the love of God." ... Brother Lawrence
Here, again, we find more insight into the concept of 'in spirit and in truth'. When we do our common business, perform our daily tasks, carry out
assignments, go through our usual routine, undertake something different or new, work on something large or small; by simply doing it to be holy and pleasing to God, we are practicing His presence in
spirit and in truth.
When we do all we do, wherever we are, with God in mind, and engaging in silent, affectionate conversation with Him; we practice His presence in spirit
and in truth. When we live so that our will melts into and becomes the will of God, we practice His presence in spirit and in truth.
3. "I have ceased all forms of devotion and set prayers except those to which my state requires. I make it my priority to persevere in His holy presence, wherein I maintain a simple
attention and a fond regard for God, which I may call an actual presence of God." ... Brother Lawrence
At first, those of us who are used to a great deal of structure, ritual, ceremony, and methods for worship, often have difficulty with this direct and
personal approach. At first, those of us who are accustomed to associate worship with particular places and locations are often uncomfortable with this way of worshipping God. Yet, overcoming our
sense of the unfamiliar is as liberating as the first realization that we can converse with God directly. It is as freeing as discovering that worshipping in spirit and truth is what really pleases
God and draws down His grace.
4. "We must lay aside all other cares and even some forms of devotion, though very good in themselves, yet such as one often engages in routinely. Those devotions are only means to attain
to the end. Once we have established a habit of the practice of the presence of God, we are then with Him who is our end. We have no need to return to the means." ... Brother Lawrence
Throughout His earthly life, Our Lord showed respect for civil law and religious customs and traditions. He showed respect for civil law to the point
where He even had Peter pay a questionable tax for them so as not to give offense. This is an important point we must keep in mind. We must remember that our practice centers around not giving
offense; to offend others is to offend Our Father. No longer are we concerned with our personal rights. The will and ways of God are all that matter to us now.
We see this awareness in Brother Lawrence's words "except those to which my state requires." As a member of a particular religious community, Brother
Lawrence fully accepted and was obedient to the society's requirements. As part of worshipping in spirit and in truth, we see that our outer behavior must be a reflection of our inner bond with
God.
5. Brother Lawrence explained that much of what we call formal prayer, services, and devotion are tools for establishing our relationship with God. Some of these tools we may use for a
lifetime, because they enhance our relationship with Our Father. Some of the tools we may outgrow or no longer need. In any event, there is no cause for concern, because God will guide us as He
orders our steps in all we do.
As we begin to let go of those forms that we have outgrown or now block our drawing closer to God, we move into a new level of freedom with Our Father.
Brother Lawrence wrote: "We may simply continue with Him in our commerce of love, persevering in His holy presence with an act of praise, of adoration, or of desire; or with an act of resignation, or
thanksgiving, and in all the ways our spirits can invent."
Our Lord came to live among us to deliver a new message and a new perspective about worship. In The Gospel we read that the new message and new
perspective is: above all else, we should worship God in spirit and in truth. In other words, worship is no longer a separate act. It is all and everything we do. Thus, the practice of God's
presence, the walk with Him in faith, humility, simplicity, and love; is worship in spirit and in truth.
6. Brother Lawrence wrote: "If, in this life, we might enjoy the peace of paradise, we must accustom ourselves to a familiar, humble, and affectionate conversation with God."
The peace of paradise is a special aspect of God's presence and kingdom. This is the peace that surpasses all understanding. Compared to any earthly
peace, it is infinitely greater, higher, and truer because it is peace in spirit. In spirit we are most alive.
God is spirit and, in the peace of paradise, He dwells within us and we are wonderfully aware of His presence. Our Lord said: "Peace I leave with you.
My peace I give to you, not as the world gives, give I to you."
When Brother Lawrence wrote that the peace of paradise might be enjoyed in this life, he clearly meant that God's presence and kingdom is available in
the here and now. In describing his own experience, Brother Lawrence wrote: "My soul, which, until that time was in trouble, felt a profound inward peace, as if she were in her center and place of
rest." For the rest of his life, Brother Lawrence knew the peace of God's presence.
Through these words of Our Lord: "in the world you will have tribulation; in me, you will have peace," we see that the way of real peace, the peace
that is 'not of this world', is through the personal relationship that comes from the practice of the presence of God. Through the holy habit of engaging in a 'familiar, humble, and affectionate
conversation with God," we establish an ongoing relationship where we live in both His spirit and truth. In other words, the peace of paradise becomes real to us. As we experience this actual
peace, we reflect it in everything we think, say, and do.
When God grants us His peace, we no longer have room for evil intruders such as anger, resentment, hostility, envy, jealously, and bitterness. When any
of these enemies attempt to creep back into their old grooves, as they may from time to time, we beg God to fill all the old spaces in us with His precious peace.
From the prayer of Our Lord, we ask God to 'lead us from temptation'. Daily, and as often as necessary, we ask Him to secure and fortify His temple and
holy dwelling place in our heart.
When we are still, the silence of peace is so full and sweet that we may actually say we feel God's embrace. His closeness is more real than any
physical or earthly closeness. In this nearness, we know we are loved by the Father who is All Loving.
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