Practicing presence with God or Jesus is best described in I Thessalonians as “unceasing prayer”—an ongoing reorienting to the awareness of God. It is a gentle practice so long as we refrain from self-condemnation when (not if) our awareness drifts or we become distracted.
Presence is the welcomed realization that you are human and that the divine is content to dwell with you in the fullness of your humanity, even as you move about and have your being.
Brother Lawrence, a Carmelite monk and author of The Presence of God, wrote, “When we walk in the presence of God, the busiest moment of the day is no different from the quiet of a prayer altar. Even in the midst of noise and clutter, while people’s voices are coming at you from all directions, asking for your help with many different things, you can possess God with the same serenity as if you were on your knees in church.”
As my (Vanessa) spiritual director says, presence is about “keeping company” with Jesus. The psalmist puts it another way and notes that you are never outside of God’s omnipresence (Psalm 139:7).
You may recoil at the idea of God with you in your procrastination or in your thought life–perhaps even feeling guilt or shame. You may be inclined to turn away or ignore the presence of God with you in your most undesirable moments.
Yet this is when you need to be reminded of God the most. The more acquainted you become with your own humanity and God’s love with you, the more you’re able to see the image of God in the face of each and every person you see.
