THE ONLY WAY WE CAN BE AT REST (1)

Augustine’s Confessions is a journey into a Christian leader’s journal of struggle, openness and brokenness. This timeless classic is the first example of a Christian leader (after the Apostle Paul) of opening up his heart to his readers. It is a profound example of humility and a genuine search for God. In Book I, chapter 1, paragraph 1 there is the following famous insight about human beings:“The thought of You (O God) stirs man so deeply that he cannot be content unless he praises you, because you made us for yourself, and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you” (Saint Augustine’s Confessions,  translated by R.S. Pine-Coffin. 1961; 1983 reprint; New York, NY: Penguin Book Classics; page 21).

            I am struck by Augustine’s initial phrase…”The thought of You (O God)…” It makes me want to ask, “What kind of thoughts about God stir us deeply?” Over the years, without really being aware of it, my own experience, study and relationship with God has been slowly but surely answering that question intuitively. Right now, here are some of the thoughts about God that stir me so deeply. What about you?

1.      The awesome creative power of God.

2.      The unfailing love of God.

3.      God’s covenant commitment to me no matter what.

4.      The absolute trust I can place in His care for me.

5.      His comfort as a loving Heavenly Father.

6.      His image planted within me (Imago Dei).

7.      His utter forgetfulness when he forgives my sins!

8.      His being as the very source of truth and reality

9.      Everything beautiful (tob, Hebrew) and good as part of his original design on the earth

10.  His desire to be sought after and found

11.  His absolute opposition to anything evil

12.  His sovereign rule and power over the universe

13.  The relinquishing of his son for sinful humanity

14.  The incarnation

15.  Three beings in one (Godhead/Trinity)

16.  Mystery of God’s plan unveiled in Jesus

17.  His eternal presence in heaven

No doubt you can add to this list. But each one of these areas raises the hair on the back of my neck as I contemplate the very existence of God. I pray that I will never get to the point in my life where these cease to stir my heart deeply! 

In Christian love, Curtis