A Cry for Mercy
As I was reading The Return of the Prodigal Son earlier this summer, my husband was reading this book of prayers by Nouwen. there were a couple of mornings when he’d read something aloud to me and I knew this would be my next contemplative nonfiction pick. I had to force myself to go slowly through this because each of the prayers is only a page or two long. It would have been easy to zip through this without giving it a whole lot of thought. Instead, I read only 1-2 prayers per day, often reading them more than once and letting the author’s words simmer in my soul.
Nouwen writes with such consideration and care for the world—its horrors and heartaches, its joys and beauty. I found these prayers to be reflections of some of my own wrestling with God, questions about pain, and searching for significance.
As always, Nouwen’s writing makes me move toward deeper prayer and thoughtfulness in my own relationship with God.
