Day 29 – Living in God’s Love
Brother Lawrence said that whenever he tried to “communicate with anyone concerning the state of his soul, he came out of it feeling more perplexed.” Yet whenever he would die to himself and “lose himself for the love of God, he feared nothing.” As he said, “Total surrender to God is the sure way, along which there is always light to guide us.”
Have you ever gone to someone for advice and left feeling worse than before?
That was Brother Lawrence’s experience. He felt misunderstood and confused by religious answers that didn’t fit him or his needs.
When Brother Lawrence tried to explain his spiritual journey to others, they seemed not to grasp his simple rule of living by faith in the loving presence of Jesus. This left him feeling frustrated and unhelped.
Some religious answers can be superficial, complicated, or perplexing, and sometimes even disturbing.
God’s answer to his soul, however, outdid the Christian advice he received. For him it was simple: a total surrender to live in God’s love.
The sure and clear path to God is total surrender – picking up one’s cross, following Jesus fully, dying to oneself, losing oneself in the love of God (Matthew 16:24).
These plain guideposts were enough for Brother Lawrence. That path, he knew, God would illuminate for him. “The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple” (Psalm 19:7).
In reflecting on overlooked facets of the spiritual life, Eugene Peterson wrote: “I want to simplify your lives. When others are telling you to read more, I want to tell you to read less; when others are telling you to do more, I want to tell you to do less. The world does not need more of you; it needs more of God. Your friends do not need more of you; they need more of God. And you don’t need more of you; you need more of God.”
In the political world, Winston Churchill advised, “In critical and baffling situations, it is always best to recur to first principles and simple action.”
So it is in the spiritual world. Brother Lawrence advises us – get back to the simple truth of a total surrender for living in God’s love.
Action Step: Watch your fears fade away as you totally surrender to God’s love.
This is God’s Word for you today,
Pastor Dave
