I encountered this prayer earlier this week while reading, “Luminaries: Twenty Lives that Illuminate the Christian Way” written by Rowan Williams:
“Taste the goodness of your Redeemer, be on fire with love for your Saviour. Chew the honeycomb of His words, suck their flavour which is sweeter than sap...As the sun You gave me light, and showed me what state I was in. You threw away the leaden weight which was dragging me down... And I who was bent down You made upright in your sight, saying, ‘Be of good cheer. I have redeemed you. I have given My life for you.’... Because You have made me, I owe You the whole of my love; because You have promised so much, I owe You all my being... I pray You, Lord, make me taste by love what I taste by knowledge; let me know by love what I know by understanding. I owe You more than my whole self, but I have no more, and by myself I cannot render the whole of it to You. Draw me to You, Lord, in the fullness of love. I am wholly Yours by creation; make me all Yours, too, in love.”
I love how simple and earnest the plea is; how eloquently written! how humbling! This prayer influenced me significantly because it reminds me to focus on who God is against who I am. Giving Him first place in my life. Surrendering my desires and heart to Him so He is able to use all of me. The small things in life are valid and important. That is how He anchors me to Him. How He comes alive and shows Himself, providing just a taste; just a little piece of fruit; just one answer; a bit of encouragement. A taste of the goodness of my Redeemer leaves me craving more and trusting greater. But I must be attentive to His voice in order to follow Him. I must be seeking Him regularly in order to taste His goodness and I must “chew the honeycomb of His words” as the prayer expressed. David wrote in Psalm 27:8, “You have said, ‘seek my face.’ My heart says to You, ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek.’” Truly, as the prayer says, my Redeemer deserves my whole self.
Thus, I ask: What part of my being do I owe the Lord but instead I am withholding from Him?
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