To walk in the presence of the Lord means to move forward in life in such a way that all our desires, thoughts, and actions are constantly guided by him. When we walk in the Lord’s presence, everything we see, hear, touch, or taste reminds us of him. This is what is meant by a prayerful life. It is not a life in which we say many prayers, but a life in which nothing, absolutely nothing, is done, said, or understood independently of him who is the origin and purpose of our existence. This is powerfully expressed by the nineteenth-century Russian Orthodox starets Theophan the Recluse:
In every duty a God-fearing heart must be put,
a heart constantly permeated by the thoughts of God;
and this will be the door through which
the soul will enter into active life…
The essence is to be established
in the remembrance of God,
and to walk in his presence.
--Henri Nouwen
Image source: Christ the Good Shepherd, mosaic, Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Ravenna, Italy, ca. 425, https://www.historians.org/teaching-and-learning/teaching-resources-for-historians/teaching-and-learning-in-the-digital-age/images-of-power-art-as-an-historiographic-tool/christ-as-the-good-shepherd
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