Do we REALLY believe God satisfies us? While we may be quick to answer in the affirmative, our actions tell a different story. Despite Christ’s promise of abundant life, we continually look to other things to make us happy–a job promotion, bigger house, new car, additional income, more approval, and extra attention. The Bible is emphatic that only God can satisfy the deepest longings of our hearts. So why do we go on looking for lesser things to satisfy us? The prophet Jeremiah speaks on God’s behalf, “My people have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water” (Jer. 2.13).
Henri Nouwen (1932-1996) was a well-known Catholic priest, writer, and theologian who taught at leading universities: Notre Dame, Yale, and Harvard. Yet the place that brought him the greatest joy and purpose was far away from the corridors of status and influence. He shocked the academic world in 1986 when he became priest-in-residence for a home of intellectually challenged adults outside Toronto. The following prayer was part of his six-month collection of prayers, A Cry for Mercy, among the most personal of his thirty-nine books. Henri said of prayer, “Prayer is the most concrete way to make our home in God.” Today’s prayer from Henri looks to God for ultimate satisfaction and pleasure:
Henri Nouwen
Dear Lord, help me keep my eyes on you. You are the incarnation of Divine Love,
you are the expression of God’s infinite compassion,
you are the visible manifestation of the Father’s holiness.
You are beauty, goodness, gentleness,
forgiveness, and mercy.
In you all can be found.
Outside of you nothing can be found.
Why should I look elsewhere or go elsewhere?
You have the words of eternal life,
you are food and drink,
you are the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
You are the light that shines in the darkness,
the lamp on the lamp stand,
the house on the hilltop.
You are the perfect Icon of God.
In and through you I can see the Heavenly Father,
and with you I can find my way to him.
O Holy One, Beautiful One, Glorious One,
be my Lord, my Savior, my Redeemer, my Guide,
my Consoler, my Comforter, my Hope, my Joy, and my Peace.
To you I want to give all that I am.
Let me be generous, not stingy, or hesitant,
Let me give you all—
All that I have, think, do and feel.
It is yours, O Lord.
Please accept it and make it fully your own.
Amen.
Henri Nouwen, A Cry for Mercy.
Rev. Dr. Peter James served 42 years as the senior of Vienna Presbyterian Church in Vienna, VA — 21 years in the 20th century and 21 years in the 21st century. He retired in 2021 and now serves as Pastor-in-Residence at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
Even as a pastor, prayer came slowly to Pete. Read Pete’s story.