In Book 10 of his Confessions, Augustine pours out his regret for waiting so long to find God.
"Late have I loved Thee, O Beauty so ancient and so new, late have I loved Thee!" Analysis: God is unchanging (ancient) yet always fresh (new). Augustine realizes he wasted years loving things that fade.
"And behold, Thou wert within, and I abroad, and there I searched for Thee." Analysis: God wasn't hiding. Augustine was looking in the wrong place (external world) when God was inside his own soul (internal).
"Thou didst call, and shout, and burst my deafness... Thou didst touch me, and I burned for Thy peace." Analysis: Grace is aggressive. God didn't just whisper; He shouted. He broke through the noise of Augustine's ego.
It is a prayer of a man who has finally found Home and regrets every minute he spent away.
Listen to this prayer chanted in Latin on the MyPrayerTower app.