Karen O'Reilly
Practicing The Presence Of God: 31 Presence Of God Scriptures.
Updated: Jun 5, 2021
Have you ever heard the term, " Practicing the Presence of God?"
I heard that term used a few years ago at a Christian conference that was encouraging people to go deeper with God and to learn to listen for His voice. The plan was to grow stronger in my walk with God and to become the person that God has created me to be. I already read my Bible regularly and I prayed often but I felt empty. I knew there was more to learn about walking with God. I just didn't know what I was missing.
At the conference, I was introduced to a man known as Brother Lawerance. I didn't meet him in person but it really seemed that I had. He has an amazing story that has impacted many lives. He was a soldier quite a few years ago. He actually died in 1691. Even though he walked this earth centuries ago, he had that same ache in his heart that I had and he found the solution. He discovered that ache in his heart was leading him to seek God, morning, noon, and night!
Have you read the Brother Lawerence's book?
It is called The Practice Of The Presence Of God. You can get it in a free audio format HERE.
It is a collection of notes, letters, and interviews given by Brother Lawerence to show how to develop a conversational relationship with God.
Brother Lawerence
“In the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees in the Chapel.”~ Brother Lawrence.
This is one of the conversations that you will read in his book. He had discovered how to practice the presence of God in every situation and wherever he was. He was in the presence of God all the time and that cured him of that empty feeling that he had.
Brother Lawrence was a Carmelite Lay Brother. But he had not always been a monk. He had been a soldier but became wounded. This resulted in him becoming lame. He probably saw more carnage and death than we could ever imagine on the battlefield. During his time in battle, he saw a dead and lifeless tree. Gazing at the tree, Herman (Brother Lawerence) grasped for the first time the extravagance of God's grace and the unfailing sovereignty of divine providence. Like the tree, he himself was seemingly dead, but God had life waiting for him, and the turn of seasons would bring fullness. At that moment, he said, that leafless tree "first flashed in upon my soul the fact of God," and a love for God that never after ceased to burn.
After he became lame he left the army and became a footman but in the book, The Practice Of The Presence Of God, Brother Lawerence, it says that he was “a great clumsy fellow who broke everything,” and so he left that job.
God indeed opened up an opportunity for him to find life again. That is how he ended up in a monastery in France. He didn't have a glamorous job but he learned the practice of practicing the presence of God, which turned his mundane tasks into glamorous and fulfilling ones! ( O.K the book doesn't describe his life as glamorous but the joy that Brother Lawerence portrays, suggests that his everyday tasks, (just like the one's that we have to do) became glamorous in the light of God's presence.
Brother Lawrence had the job of dishwasher and cook in the 17th-century French monastery. During his 40 years as a monk, he came to a deep understanding of what it meant to practice the presence of God.
As he went about his mundane tasks, Brother Lawerence had conversations with God. He believed God could be invited into everything he did and His presence could be enjoyed anytime and everywhere.
“Brother Lawrence retreated to a place in his heart where the love of God made every detail of his life of surpassing value. ‘I (Brother Lawrence) began to live as if there were no one save God and me in the world.’ Together, God and Brother Lawrence cooked meals, ran errands, scrubbed pots, and endured the scorn of the world.
Christianity Today International
These notes, letters, and interviews were not meant to be compiled into a book for us all to read. They were actual conversations that Brother Lawerence had with a friend about the depth of his love for God. He tells his friend of his tried and true practices that helped him create a deep, abiding connection with God. His friends published his story after his death in 1691.
Would you like to join me for 31 days looking at what the bible says about practicing the presence of God?
What does it mean to practice the presence of God?
What does it mean to seek God?
How do you seek God with all your heart?
What are the benefits of seeking God first?
How do you rest in God's presence?
There are so many exciting things to discover in God's presence in our lives while going about our daily routine. To help us dive deep into what God is saying to us, I have compiled a list of 11 Presence Of God scriptures and 11 bible verses about seeking God. There are also bible verses about resting in God and 3 bible verses about how God transforms us in His presence. It will be quite a journey to discover all the scripture treasures in this bible plan. Make sure you download the free printable that contains all 31 bible verses and print out the prayer journal and notes pages as often as you would like. You will find them in the Free Resource Library.
I actually download these pages to my iBooks app and use them digitally. Another good app to use is the XODO app. Using them this way on my phone means that I can enjoy studying God's presence everywhere I go! I will be posting daily devotionals on each verse, so make sure to check in daily here on the blog.
Presence Of God Scriptures
Psalm 89:15-16 "Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of your presence, Lord. 16 They rejoice all day long in your wonderful reputation. They exult in your righteousness. Read the devotional, Face To Face With God
Jeremiah 33:3 " Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand)." Read the devotional God's, Private Telephone Number.
Psalm 16:11 "You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Read the devotional, In His Presence Is Fullness Of Joy.
John 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."
Luke 10:41-42 "And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
Resting In God
God Transforms Us In His Presence
Bible Verses About Seeking God
Proverbs 8:17 "I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me.
Psalm 34:4 "I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears."
Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart."
Revelation 21:3 "And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God, Himself will be with them and be their God."
Here is the free printable with 31 scriptures on Practicing The Presence Of God. I designed it on this pretty, teal green marble paper with a little bit of faux gold glitter. I just love pretty stationary! You could screenshot it to keep handy or print it out and add it to your prayer journal. I also designed a guided prayer journal page and a lined page that you could use for note-taking.
Here is the free prayer journal pdf that you can download to your phone or tablet and print out to write on if you wish to.
I use mine in the iBooks app so that I can use my stylus to write on the PDF. A friend of mine loves to use hers in the Goodnotes App. There are other apps available too. If you have a favorite App for notetaking or reading PDFs, tell karen@scripturalgrace.com. It is good to know other suitable resources and I can list them all for everyone that reads this post!
This prayer journal is designed to help you to dig deeper into each verse from our Bible reading plan. You will find this free download in the Resource Library HERE.
Let's talk about how to benefit from this list of scriptures on God's amazing grace:
This list of scriptures on the presence of God is perfect for scripture writing. I find that writing them out, allows you time to learn them and think about them more deeply. Use this pretty journal stationary with prompts to help you during your devotional time. It should take about 10 minutes to write each verse but spend as much time as you have, sitting in God's presence and listening for His Holy Spirit speaking to your heart, instructing, and guiding you.
Copying scripture and carrying it with us throughout the day, reading it, and memorizing it, makes God's word a part of us. It renews your mind and calms your anxious heart.
Take Action :
Download the scripture verse list, journal paper HERE.
Find a quiet place with your cup of coffee, Bible, and a favorite pen.
Pray as you write your scripture verse for that day.
Ask God to reveal Himself to you and listen for the Holy Spirit to speak to you.
If you feel convicted of something- confess it and ask for forgiveness.
If you feel moved to worship - worship God! Just enjoy His presence.
Most important: make an appointment with yourself, journal, and God every day for your scripture writing time. I find it works best for me to do it in the morning. It helps me to gain ' God's perspective' on my day. But you do it in your own perfect time. The important thing to remember is to do it and if you miss a day - just double up the next one!
Check back each day on the blog for the daily devotional that accompanies this amazing list of bible verses about seeking God.
We will be using these bible verses in the month of June as our daily devotionals in our Restoring Beauty For Ashes Facebook Group. Come join us there!
I will also be posting them daily here on the blog. You will find a link beside each bible verse above in our list of scriptures about God's amazing grace. I am so excited to start this journey of discovering God's grace with you!
I would love it if you could share with me your thoughts as you work your way through this Scripture plan. You can connect with me via email karen@scripturalgrace.com or on our FACEBOOK page.
And tell your friends about this study. You can share this post to Facebook using the button below or use the Pinterest graphic above in the post.
It's all about His grace
xx Karen.