First Love Never Dies: Fact!

Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855)
Exerts from the Prayers of Kierkegaard

The point that struck me most about this author is how earnest he is about the love of God. He stresses that God is unchanging. More precisely how God is unchangeable in love!

He stresses that God first loved us long before we had the opportunity to love him back. Not only once, but on a continuing basis God chooses to love us first. Throughout our lives, noticing the our needs and the things that happen to us. Our response is to turn to him in prayer.



This started me thinking in all kinds of directions:

Rembrandt - The Return of the Prodigal Son 1668

 I thought we as Christians talk of "returning our first love" which I because I have never really thought about it I interpreted as that heady feeling when you are first saved. Which is more closely linked to Eros love. That as most of us are aware passes. Striving to return to that feeling does not seem to work. What if..... returning to our first love actually meant returning to God the Father who loved us first. That is an action of acknowledging  and enjoying the Father Heart of God. That is Agape love which is quite different from Eros love. Deep never ending, undying, all consuming love.

As I began to look at the process I am engaged in; weekly going through these exercises. I began to think as I follow the theme weekly "I need to join the dots". This is a process of spiritual formation, so it is about practical change in who I am and how I engage with my Heavenly Father on a daily basis. I realised that each week I need to looking for the connections with the previous week. How each week has it changed my prayer practice.

If I take the concept of God loved us first, then I am able to view the practice of silence as a place to soak in that "first love" while I continue to listen. Even if I don't feel I am necessarily hearing anything, I know I am surrounded by the Father's love and that is enough.

Thanksgiving as my first act of prayer after silence makes so much sense because it is the most obvious and appropriate response to the Agape love that surrounds me. These revelations are changing my prayer life week by week as each built revelation bolts into the next.

Think about what this may mean for you.

Until next week Paul