*** Here is the life of a great man of God who sought no personal gain in this world except to demonstrate the " practice of walking in God's presence!"
Brother Lawrence
1614-1691
Brother Lawrence, born Nicholas Herman, a lowly and unlearned man, who, after having been a footman and soldier, was admitted a Lay Brother among the barefooted Carmelites at Paris in 1666, and was afterwards known as "Brother Lawrence."
His conversion, which took place when he was about eighteen years old, was the result, under God, of the mere sight in midwinter, of a dry and leafless tree, and of the reflections it stirred respecting the change the coming spring would bring - gave him a profound impression of God's Providence and power. This impression detached forever him from the world entirely and from that time on he grew eminently in the knowledge and love of GOD, endeavoring constantly to walk "as in His presence."
Some wilderness wanderings seem to have intervened between the Red Sea and the Jordan of his life's experiences. A wholly consecrated man, he lived his Christian life through as a pilgrim--as a steward and not as an owner, and died near the age of eighty, leaving a name which has been as "ointment poured forth."
Another thing he mentioned was that our faith was generally weak. Yet instead of letting our faith guide and rule our lives we were often lead astray by petty, everyday mechanical prayers, which are always changing. Where we should rather use our Faith which was the only road to the perfection of Christ in our lives.
Nicholas entered the priory in Paris as a lay brother, not having the education necessary to become a cleric, and took the religious name, "Lawrence of the Resurrection". He spent almost all of the rest of his life within the walls of the priory, working in the kitchen for most of his life and as a repairer of sandals in his later years.
Despite his lowly position in life and the priory, his character attracted many to him. He had a reputation for experiencing profound peace and visitors came to seek spiritual guidance from him. The wisdom he passed on to them, in conversations and in letters, would later become the basis for the book, The Practice of the Presence of God.
Father Joseph de Beaufort, later vicar general to the Archbishop of Paris, compiled this work after Brother Lawrence died. It became popular among Catholics and Protestants alike, with John Wesley and A. W. Tozer recommending it to others.
He found a peace in reconciling himself to the thought that this struggle and longing was his destiny. He said his soul "had come to its own home and place of rest." His death in 1691 occurred in relative obscurity, but his teachings lived on in the compilation of his word
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