Sunday, March 21, 2010

Freely give me your love

A portion of a prayer from Henri Nouwen on p. 213 of 'The Only Necessary Thing':
O Lord, do I keep forgetting that you love me, that you are waiting for me with open arms? As a father with tears in his eyes, you see how your son is destroying the very life you gave him. Yet as a father you know, too, that you cannot force me to come back to you. Only when I freely come to you, when I freely shake off the false cares and troubles and freely confess my false ways and freely pray for mercy, only then can you freely give me your love.

Hear my prayer, O Lord, hear my plea, hear my desire to return to you. Do not leave me alone in my struggle. Save me from eternal damnation and show me the beauty of your face. Come, Lord Jesus, come. Amen.

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