Eighth Letter
Brother Lawrence encourages listeners to practice the presence of God by keeping their minds calm and focused in prayer, and to persevere in this practice to overcome wandering thoughts.
Brother Lawrence emphasizes the common struggle with wandering thoughts in prayer, attributing it to the roving nature of our minds. He suggests that the remedy for this is to confess our faults, humble ourselves before God, and avoid using excessive words in prayer. Instead, he encourages maintaining a quiet presence before the Lord, bringing back the mind in tranquility when it wanders. Brother Lawrence highlights the importance of keeping the mind focused on God throughout the day to ease re-collecting it during prayer.
Text
Concerning wandering thoughts in prayer.
YOU tell me nothing new: you are not the only one that is troubled with wandering thoughts. Our mind is extremely roving; but as the will is mistress of all our faculties, she must recall them, and carry them to GOD, as their last end.
When the mind, for want of being sufficiently reduced by recollection, at our first engaging in devotion, has contracted certain bad habits of wandering and dissipation, they are difficult to overcome, and commonly draw us, even against our wills, to the things of the earth.
I believe one remedy for this is, to confess our faults, and to humble ourselves before GOD. I do not advise you to use multiplicity of words in prayer; many words and long discourses being often the occasions of wandering: hold yourself in prayer before GOD, like a dumb or paralytic beggar at a rich man's gate: let it be your business to keep your mind in the presence of the LORD. If it sometimes wander, and withdraw itself from Him, do not much disquiet yourself for that; trouble and disquiet serve rather to distract the mind, than to re-collect it; the will must bring it back in tranquillity; if you persevere in this manner, GOD will have pity on you.
One way to re-collect the mind easily in the time of prayer, and preserve it more in tranquillity, is not to let it wander too far at other times: you should keep it strictly in the presence of GOD; and being accustomed to think of Him often, you will find it easy to keep your mind calm in the time of prayer, or at least to recall it from its wanderings.
I have told you already at large, in my former letters, of the advantages we may draw from this practice of the presence of GOD: let us set about it seriously and pray for one another.
Sermon Outline
- The Problem of Wandering Thoughts in Prayer
- Remedies for Wandering Thoughts
- Practicing the Presence of God
- Keeping the Mind in God's Presence at All Times
- Benefits of Practicing the Presence of God
Key Quotes
“Our mind is extremely roving; but as the will is mistress of all our faculties, she must recall them, and carry them to GOD, as their last end.” — Brother Lawrence
“Let it be your business to keep your mind in the presence of the LORD.” — Brother Lawrence
“If it sometimes wander, and withdraw itself from Him, do not much disquiet yourself for that; trouble and disquiet serve rather to distract the mind, than to re-collect it;” — Brother Lawrence
Application Points
- Make a conscious effort to keep your mind in God's presence at all times, even when you're not praying.
- Simplify your prayer life by focusing on the presence of God rather than using many words or long discourses.
- Pray for one another to support each other in practicing the presence of God.