In the collection of writings and letters known as The Practice of the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence continually urges his readers to consistently seek to recognize God’s presence. On this idea, he writes,
“Above all, get a habit of entertaining yourself often with God, and forget Him the least you can.”
This really stuck a chord with me because of three words.
First, he says to make seeking God’s presence a ‘habit’. Throughout the book, he says that as we look to God more and more in any and every circumstance, it becomes more natural for us to feel and know his presence with us in every situation. I believe this is true, and it is something I would love to make strides on. I want a habit of mine throughout the day to be looking to God and knowing he is really here with me, for me.
Second, he says a goal we should have is to not ‘forget’ God. As simple as this sounds, it is really profound how frequently I forget God. How many times do I go hours and hours without even for a moment thinking about God at all. I don’t make space in my thoughts for a quick glance his way–dwelling at his existence, thanking him, trusting him, enjoying him. Instead, I just forget him. I want to forget him less. I want to remember his existence, his goodness, throughout the day. I understand why the psalmist urges to his soul, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not his benefits” (Psalm 103:2).
Third, he uses the word ‘entertaining’. The goal is to make a habit of entertaining oneself with God. This struck me because we use this word all the time nowadays. We love entertainment. We talk about TV shows, social media, sports, toys, games, and more. Many of us even have a spot in our monthly budgets for “Entertainment”. But I don’t think I have ever thought about entertaining myself with God. For some reason, I don’t put God in the same category.
I think TV shows, food, theater trips, buying random stuff, etc. will make me entertained. I think of these things as needed entertainment in our busy lives. And this may be partly true, but I don’t think of God in this way. I might think God will make me satisfied (cf. John 6:35) and happy (cf. Psalm 16:11), but for some reason I have never thought that God will entertain me.
But as Brother Lawrence writes, a goal should be for us to consistently, habitually be entertained with God. And this is because, as funny as it might sound, God not only is beautiful, glorious, wonderful, and good, he is also entertaining.
So, next time we feel the need to just vegetate and ‘be entertained’ with movies, TV shows, social media, etc., may we remember that our God is present. He is amusing (in a good way), he is captivating, he is enjoyable. In short, he is entertaining–more entertaining than we will ever know.
In fact, it will take an eternity to realize how entertaining he truly is. Let’s begin now.
Quote from Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God with Spiritual Maxims (Grand Rapids, MI: Spire Books, 1958), 55.
