Confessions - Book I - Chapter I
St. Augustine reflects on humanity's restless heart seeking God, emphasizing that true peace is found only in knowing and praising the Lord.
In this devotional sermon, St. Augustine explores the innate human longing for God and the restlessness of the heart until it finds peace in Him. He reflects on the process of seeking, knowing, and praising God, emphasizing faith as a divine gift inspired through Christ and preaching. Augustine invites listeners to understand the importance of calling on God with true knowledge and faith.
Text
1. \"Great art thou, O Lord, and greatly to be praised; great is thy power, and infinite is thy wisdom.\"[6] And man desires to praise thee, for he is a part of thy creation; he bears his mortality about with him and carries the evidence of his sin and the proof that thou dost resist the proud. Still he desires to praise thee, this man who is only a small part of thy creation. Thou hast prompted him, that he should delight to praise thee, for thou hast made us for thyself and restless is our heart until it comes to rest in thee. Grant me, O Lord, to know and understand whether first to invoke thee or to praise thee; whether first to know thee or call upon thee. But who can invoke thee, knowing thee not? For he who knows thee not may invoke thee as another than thou art. It may be that we should invoke thee in order that we may come to know thee. But \"how shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? Or how shall they believe without a preacher?\"[7] Now, \"they shall praise the Lord who seek him,\"[8] for \"those who seek shall find him,\"[9] and, finding him, shall praise him. I will seek thee, O Lord, and call upon thee. I call upon thee, O Lord, in my faith which thou hast given me, which thou hast inspired in me through the humanity of thy Son, and through the ministry of thy preacher.[10]
Sermon Outline
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I
- God's greatness and infinite wisdom
- Human desire to praise God despite sin
- The evidence of sin and God's resistance to pride
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II
- The restlessness of the human heart until it rests in God
- The dilemma of whether to invoke or praise God first
- The necessity of seeking God to find and praise Him
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III
- Faith as a gift inspired by Christ and preaching
- The process of seeking, calling, and praising God
- The role of human initiative and divine prompting
Key Quotes
“Great art thou, O Lord, and greatly to be praised; great is thy power, and infinite is thy wisdom.” — St. Augustine
“Thou hast made us for thyself and restless is our heart until it comes to rest in thee.” — St. Augustine
“How shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? Or how shall they believe without a preacher?” — St. Augustine
Application Points
- Recognize your own heart’s restlessness as a sign of God’s design for you.
- Seek God actively through prayer and faith inspired by Christ and His Word.
- Praise God genuinely as you grow in knowledge and relationship with Him.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Augustine say the heart is restless?
Because humans are made for God, and they remain unsettled until they find rest in Him.
What does Augustine mean by invoking God before knowing Him?
He questions how one can call on God properly without truly knowing who He is.
How does faith come according to Augustine?
Faith is a gift inspired by God through the humanity of Christ and the ministry of preachers.
What is the relationship between seeking and finding God?
Those who seek God will find Him, and finding Him leads to praising Him.