Compunction (Christianity)

Compunction is the awareness of one's indigence and coldness and of one's need for God. It brings with it faith, sorrow and humility. Most important, it brings hope in the mercy of God. It can transform prayer from a cold formality, with the emphasis on one's self, to a living act, bringing one's self into a real, spiritual and personal relationship with God face to face, the I-Thou relationship.