Does your work bring you closer to God?

Tom Harper March 31, 2025

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Continuing my reading of Brother Lawrence's The Practice of the Presence of God, I came across a fascinating thought on page 23, which says that he "was more united to God in his outward employments than when he left them for devotion and retirement."

In other words, this man who washed dishes for an unpaid living found greater spiritual advantage in his labor than any of his spiritual duties in the monastery. He communed with God over that sink more than he did in the pews of the sanctuary.

His work helped him focus on God. He talked to his Father while he worked, and before he knew it, his work was done … and done with joy.

Do I feel closer to God through my own work?

My first thought is I feel closer to him at church, when I'm praying, reading his Word, or ministering to others.

But somehow, this monk used his job to get closer to God. He used his menial labor as an opportunity to be in constant conversation with the Father.

This helped Brother Lawrence experience the intimate presence of God.

Routine work does wonders for our relationship with our holy, majestic God. I need to invite the Lord's presence into my own work more.

What about you?

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Tom Harper is publisher of BiblicalLeadership.com and executive chairman of Networld Media Group, a business-to-business publisher and event producer. He has written five books, including Servant Leader Strong: Uniting Biblical Wisdom and High-Performance Leadership (DeepWater Books, 2019) as well as the Christian business fable Through Colored Glasses and its sequel Inner Threat (DeepWater, 2022). Learn More »

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