Context: YesterdayI stirred at 6am, and all I wanted was to go back to sleep. My bed was blissfully warm and comfortable, but today’s prayer began to nag insistently in my mind until I forced myself to wake fully and discover what it wanted to say. To my great surprise, it turned out to be this wide-awake, effervescent song of praise:
“My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.
(John 20:28; NLT).
1. My Lord, my God; my flesh, my blood:
You fill my body with your love.
2. My Lord, my God; my bread, my wine:
You make my sinful mind your shrine.
3. My Lord, my God, my strength, my prayer: You teach my hard, cold heart to care.
4. My Lord, my God, my sword, my shield: You touch my soul, and I am healed.
5. My Lord, my God, my everything:
You make my spirit dance and sing!
People in Zion will dance as they sing, “Everything I am has its source in you.”
(Psalm 87:7; TIB).
References
1. If you don’t eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Chosen One, you won’t have life in you. Those who do eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Everyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me, and I live in them (John 6:53-6; TIB).
We know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them (1 John 4:16; NIV).
2. As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body” (Matthew 26:26; NLT).
He took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many (Matthew 26:27-8; NLT).
We are the temple of the living God (2 Corinthians 6:16; NLT).
3. The LORD GOD is my strength and my song (Isaiah 12:2; NLT).
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you (Ezekiel 36:26; NIV).
4. He is your protecting shield and your triumphant sword! (Psalm 28:7; NLT).
He restores my soul (Psalm 23:3; NKJV).
5. I pray to you, O LORD. I say, “You are my place of refuge. You are all I really want in life (Psalm 142:5; NLT).
Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him (Philippians 3:8-9; NLT).
The LORD is my strength and my song (Exodus 15:2; NLT).
Let them praise God’s Name with festive dance; let them sing praise (Psalm 149:3; TIB).
Context: When I read or hear about the dreadful things we human beings do to one another, I pray for those who have been made to suffer. If they are alive, I ask God to heal them. If they are dead, I pray for their souls, knowing that God heals and blesses them in heaven.
Next, I pray for all who are affected by the harm that has been done to someone they love. I ask God to comfort and strengthen those who are now anxious, distressed, or bereft, as a result of the wrong that has been done.
After this, I ask God to support everyone who tries to help those who have been victimised. This includes, for example, health workers, the police and the justice system.
Lastly, I pray for those who have abused, hurt, or killed others. I ask God to help them face and take responsibility for what they have done, to repent, and to change for the better.
And today’s blog grew out of this practice:
I observed all the oppression that takes place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, with no one to comfort them. The oppressors have great power, and their victims are helpless (Ecclesiastes 4:1; NLT).
I pray for victims and oppressors:
Lord, please help them all.
I pray for victims and abusers:
May they hear your call.
I pray for victims and transgressors: May they turn to you,
Accept your love, be reconciled,
And start their lives anew.
I pray for victims and aggressors:
Yahweh, heal them all.
I pray for victims and attackers:
May they hear your call.
I pray for victims and their killers:
Lord, mend all that mars
Your perfect image in us all: Please heal our wounds and scars.
Humankind was created as God’s reflection: in the divine image God created them; female and male, God made them (Genesis 1:27; TIB).
I am the LORD who heals you (Exodus 15:26; NLT).
He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.
(Psalm 147:3; NLT).
Context: A few nights ago I had a vivid, strange and disturbing dream:
I saw a group of very young children who had just been separated from those whose task it was to take care of them. The children weren’t old enough to walk, so they were having to crawl along a rough, narrow, dirty street, moving away from their carers, and towards an unknown destination.
All of them were wailing. It was a heartbreaking sound. In his distress, perhaps blinded by tears, one little boy blundered head-first into a stone wall. He slumped to the ground, and I was shocked to hear him cry out, “They don’t love us any more”, in utter despair, hopelessness and desolation. After that he stopped moving. It was clear that he had given up the will to survive.
My heart went out to him. I jumped up and ran to him, putting my arms round his small body to comfort him. At that moment, I woke up with my arms clasped around my pillow. Instantly, even before I could begin to pray, several realisations struck me hard:
What I realised
Everything I experienced during my childhood laid the foundations of my mental health during adult life.
This includes how I was treated by those who brought me up, as well as by those I was exposed to at school, in churches, clubs, hospitals and all other settings.
Thus, for good or ill, I have been influenced and affected by all the relationships and events I experienced during my formative years.
Comments
From my dream, and from the realisations which followed immediately afterwards, I understood even more clearly than before that the damage done to me in childhood caused the wounds and scars I have carried into adulthood.
These wounds shaped the person I have become, including all I feel, think, say and do. They affect how I behave, relate to others, cope with suffering, treat the world, understand God, and even whether or not I want to live. They also affected how I brought up my son, and how I reacted to having a miscarriage.
My dream showed me the mechanism by which so much of my psychological distress and mental illness has been caused. Only God can fully heal the inner damage I sustained, and the consequences with which I have had to live.
I am the LORD who heals you (Exodus 15:26; NLT).
He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.
(Psalm 147:3; NLT).
Context: By the time I had written and posted “A crash course on suffering”(https://wp.me/p45bCr-bTR), I was exhausted, and had yet another migraine. So with a sense of relief, here is today’s much simpler blog, for which I am very grateful:
I love you, Lord (Psalm 18:1; NLT).
Each day the Lord pours his unfailinglove upon me.
(Psalm 42:8; NLT).
1. I love you,
And you love me.
I look around:
You’re all I see
2. In everyone And everything –
My Shepherd, Saviour,
Lord and King.
3. You love me,
And I love you.
I look within:
You live there, too!
4. So, may I show Our love today
In all I think, and do,
And say.
I want you to show love (Hosea 6:6; NLT).
References
1. God is love (1 John 4:8; NLT).
He loves us with unfailing love (Psalm 117:2; NLT).
2. There is one Lord …who is over all and in all and living through all (Ephesians 4:5; NLT).
The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need (Psalm 23:1; NLT).
I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior (Isaiah 43:3; NLT).
“My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed (John 20:28; NLT).
God [is] the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords (1 Timothy 6:15; NIV).
3. You are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (2 Corinthians 6:16; NKJV).
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them (1 John 4:16; NIV).
4. Those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did. Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. This old commandment – to love one another – is the same message you heard before. Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it (1 John 2:5-8; NLT).
Love your neighbour as yourself (Leviticus 19:18; NLT).
Love the stranger (Deuteronomy 10:19; NKJV).
Show love to foreigners (Deuteronomy 10:19; NLT).
Love your enemies (Matthew 5:44; NLT).
Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart (Deuteronomy 15:9; ESV).
Do everything with love (1 Corinthians 16:13-14; NLT).
We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ (Ephesians 4:15; NLT).
Context: While I was praying for a friend who recently asked me some significant questions about suffering, I was given the inspiration for the following article:
Introduction
This crash course addresses ten questions about suffering. Immediately below each answer there is a series of Biblical quotes. These are offered as an aid to reflection, perhaps over a period of several days.
1. Where do we come from?
All human beings are part of God, who makes us, breathes life into us, cares for us, and loves us unfailingly.
YHWH fashioned an earth creature out of the clay of the earth, and blew into its nostrils the breath of life. And the earth creature became a living being (Genesis 2:7; TIB).
The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life (Job 33:4; NLT).
I will be your God throughout your lifetime – until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you (Isaiah 46:4; NLT).
He loves us with unfailing love. (Psalm 117:2; NLT).
2. What is life?
Life is the period during which we are exiled from heaven, though not from God’s constant, invisible, loving presence. We come from God, spend time on earth, then return to God.
I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1:5; NLT).
You will soon return from exile (Lamentations 4:22; NLT).
3. Why are we here?
Our task is to get to know God. We do this by seeking God, and by praying constantly, thanking God in all circumstances, and rejoicing, no matter what we face.
His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him – though he is not far from any one of us (Acts 17:27; NLT).
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; NIV).
4. What does life offer us?
Life offers us the chance to learn how to live in God, to grow more like Christ, and, astonishingly, even to become more like God.
We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ (Ephesians 4:15; NLT).
This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ (Ephesians 4:13; NLT).
Put on your new nature, created to be like God – truly righteous and holy (Ephesians 4:24; NLT).
The Lord – who is the Spirit – makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image (2 Corinthians 3:18; NLT).
5. Why do we suffer?
Trials and sorrows are an inevitable part of our time on earth because our bodies, minds and hearts are fragile and mortal, though our souls are immortal. Life here is essentially a training-ground. It offers us the opportunity to make our own choices, reach out to God and grow in faith. This developmental process helps us to love God, all people and the world, until we eventually discover our oneness with God, and with all.
Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows (John 16:33; NLT).
How frail is humanity! How short is life, how full of trouble! (Job 14:1; NLT).
If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me (Jeremiah 29:13; NLT).
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them (1 John 4:16; NIV).
Love your neighbour as yourself (Leviticus 19:18; NLT).
Love the stranger (Deuteronomy 10:19; NKJV).
Show love to foreigners (Deuteronomy 10:19; NLT).
Love your enemies (Matthew 5:44; NLT).
6. Where does suffering come from?
Everything comes from God, both good and bad, though some people would prefer to see good things as coming from God, and suffering as being inflicted by “the devil”. However, the concept of the devil as an external being arises from a combination of mistranslation and the human desire to disown the temptations and terrible impulses which well up spontaneously from our unconscious minds (see https://wp.me/p45bCr-bPK). When we act these out, evil occurs in truly shocking and horrific ways, but the impulse, the decision and the action always come from within.
Learning to accept suffering as God’s will, and to make the best of it whilst still loving and serving God in others, is one of the major challenges and opportunities of our lives.
When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other (Ecclesiastes 7:14; NIV).
Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realise that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life (Ecclesiastes 7:14; NLT).
Should we accept only good things from the hand of God, and never anything bad? (Job 2:10; NLT).
The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord (Job 1:21; CSB).
7. Why does suffering exist?
Suffering has much to teach us. Without it, we might not grow in trust and faith. Christ’s example is particularly helpful here, for even as he begged God to spare him from extreme suffering, he maintained his resolution to accept God’s will rather than his own. God suffers with us and helps us to learn through all we face. This is how we grow in endurance, patience, inner strength, hope and love.
Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine (Luke 22:42; NLT).
In all their suffering he also suffered (Isaiah 63:9; NLT).
Blessed be the Lord! Day after day he bears our burdens (Psalm 68:19; CSB).
Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you (Isaiah 30:20; NLT).
My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever (Psalm 73:26; NLT).
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love (Romans 5:3-5; NLT).
8. How can good come out of suffering?
As we grow in love and trust by facing and sharing our suffering with God, God brings good from it all. This is something we can ask for when we pray for others, as well as for ourselves.
We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them (Romans 8:28; NLT).
Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan (Ephesians 1:11; NLT).
9. What is the purpose of life?
The purpose of life is to recognise, love and serve God in ourselves, in others, and in all things. This means becoming aware of our constant oneness with the Divine. To live like this, no matter what happens, is to live joyfully in heaven on earth.
You are the temple of the living God (2 Corinthians 6:16; NKJV).
There is one Lord …who is over all and in all and living through all (Ephesians 4:5; NLT).
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them (1 John 4:16; NIV).
So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God (Romans 7:4; NLT).
10. Where do we go when we die?
As mentioned briefly in #2 above, when we die, we return immediately to God, who welcomes, kisses and embraces us. Completely healed, forgiven and restored, we are absorbed back into God’s infinite peace, bliss and love – and this time, it’s forever.
The dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7; NIV).
I came from Abba God and have come into the world, and now I leave the world to go to Abba God (John 16:28; TIB).
So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.” But his father said to the servants, “Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found” (Luke 15:20-24; TIB).
Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever (Psalm 23:66; KJV).
Whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord (Romans 14:8; NLT).
Conclusion
In this article I’ve addressed ten questions about suffering. I hope very much that you have found something here that interests or helps you. Remember that I pray for you all every day.
We keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do (2 Thessalonians 1:11; NLT).
Context: As soon as I woke and started to pray today, this is what I saw:
Only God is worthy to be worshipped by all people, creatures and things.
God makes, maintains and ends them all.
God lives over, in and through them all.
God can never be destroyed.
God is the First and the Last: infinite and eternal.
God is Love.
Then, as soon as I began to worship, this little prayer arrived:
God:
1. My Father, And my Mother;
2. Spirit: Sister;
Jesus: Brother;
3. Maker, Shepherd, Saviour, Lover:
4. You are all;
I want no other.
God will be all in all (1 Corinthians 15:28; TIB).
The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.
(Psalm 23:1; NLT).
References
1. You are our mother and father, YHWH; we are the clay and you are the potter, we are all the work of your hands (Isaiah 64:8; TIB).
2. Say to wisdom, “You are my sister” (Proverbs 7:4; NIV).
God has revealed this wisdom to us through the Holy Spirit. She searches out all things, even the deep things of God (1 Corinthians 2:10; TIB).
Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother (Mark 3:35; NLT).
3. You cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things (Ecclesiastes 11:5; NIV).
The Lord is my shepherd (Psalm 23:1; NLT).
I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior (Isaiah 43:3; NLT).
My lover is mine and I am his (Song of Songs 2:16; NLT).
4. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him (Philippians 3:8-9; NLT).
God has put all things under Christ’s feet and made Christ, as the ruler of everything, the head of the church, and the church is Christ’s body; it’s the fullness of the One who fills all of creation (Ephesians 1:22; TIB).
He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all (Ephesians 1:22; NKJV).
This is what the Lord says – Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies: “I am the First and the Last; there is no other God” (Isaiah 44:6; NLT).
Context: Today I’m writing an article I was given this morning to work on. I’m very tired, and have had a small eye surgery, so it’s not finished yet. Accordingly, I have brought out of my “storeroom” a blog I got ready a little while ago (see Matthew 13:52, for the allusion).
You must love the Lord your God with all your heart,
all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.
(Luke 10:27; NLT).
I will forgive their sins and forget the evil things
they have done (Jeremiah 31:34; CEV).
I love you, Lord, with all my mind,
And honour you within,
Because you pardon me each day, Forgetting all my sin.
I love you, Lord, with all my heart,
And glory in your name,
Because you pardon me each day, Forgetting all my shame.
I love you, Lord, with all my soul,
And follow you, my Guide,
Because you pardon me each day, Forgetting all my pride.
I love you, Lord, with all my strength,
And put my trust in you –
Please help me, Lord, to show my love
In everything I do.
Do everything with love (1 Corinthians 16:14; NLT).
Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers
and sisters of mine, you did for me.
(Matthew 25:40; NIV).
Context: Yesterday, after the briefest of waking-up prayers, I wrote solidly from 6-8.30am. By then I had more or less completed “Golden light” (https://wp.me/p45bCr-bR3), which later became the day’s blog. It was time to get up, but I decided to take a moment to pray before going downstairs. However, I had barely begun to collect my thoughts when I was hit by a series of revelations.
By the time they came to an end, I was shaken, tearful, joyful, reeling and awed, because I had just been given a glimpse of God’s infinite love and omnipresence. I had made some notes, but have no idea whether I wrote them during, or just after, what happened.
The experience was like watching slow-motion ripples spreading out wider and wider after a single drop of water had fallen into a vast, motionless sea. What I saw is very difficult to express in words, but I will do my best to describe each ripple in turn.
1. All love comes from God I perceived that whenever I receive love, whether from a person or an animal, that love always comes from God, who is present within the one who is loving me.
2. God is in everything Next, I grasped that God’s loving presence is in all that exists on earth, including everything made by people, as well as by God.
3. God is in good and bad Then, I understood that God’s loving presence is not restricted to good people, creatures and things. Rather, divine love is equally present in difficult people, creatures, circumstances and events, including accidents, sickness, suffering, fear, grief and disaster – that is: all life and death.
4. God is in the cosmos After this, I realised that everything in the cosmos also contains God’s loving presence, including the planets, suns, stars, comets, galaxies and even the dust of space.
Comment Thus, I learned that divine love is present in everything, here and now, without exception. It has always been so, and always will be so, yet, like Jacob on his journey to Harran, I had not recognised this (see Genesis 28:16-17; NIV). As I write, I’m still shaking my head in wonderment at what I saw, yet there was more to come.
5. God is in all Following this, I glimpsed that God’s loving presence can also be found in ugliness, destruction, abuse, violence and sin, though this is very hard to put into words. However much human beings damage and despoil the divine image in people, creatures, objects and creation, God’s love is still present in all things. Seeing this helped me to understand a little more about how God is able to bring good out of bad (see Romans 8:28; NLT).
Furthermore, I saw that there are no exceptions to God’s loving omnipresence. This means that there is nothing I can…
See, hear, smell, taste, or touch;
Use, waste, neglect, ignore, break, or discard;
Feel, think, say, or do;
Judge, hate, or destroy,
…that isn’t filled to overflowing with God’s loving presence.
6. Living in heaven Lastly, I saw that when I consciously and fully recognise God’s constant, loving presence everywhere, and in all things, I live in God, which means living in heaven on earth. Similarly, after death, I will live in God, in heaven. Thus, I perceived that whether I live or die, oneness with God is the same.
Conclusion
God is present in all people, creatures, things, experiences and events, everywhere and forever, and God is love (1 John 4:16; NIV).
Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever (Psalm 23:6; NLT).
References
There is one Lord …who is over all and in all and living through all (Ephesians 4:5-6; NLT).
Whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord (Romans 14:8; NLT).
Context: Yesterday I woke early and began to pray, expecting nothing. Then I saw this prayer happening:
1. Golden light!
A splendid sight:
One and all
Are walking tall.
2. God is here:
There’s no more fear,
And no more pain:
Now, Christ will reign.
3. No more jeers,
And no more tears.
No more wars,
For peace outpours
4. In heaven on earth,
And heaven above,
As all confess
That God is love.
God is love (1 John 4:8; NIV).
References
1. No longer will you need the sun to shine by day, nor the moon to give its light by night, for the LORD your God will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory (Isaiah 60:19; NLT).
The city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there. And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city (Revelation 21:23-26; NLT).
This, then, is the message we heard from Jesus and declare to you: God is light, and in God there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5; TIB).
From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth (Psalm 50:2; NIV).
I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high (Leviticus 26:13; NIV).
2. When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven” (Genesis 28:16-17; NIV).
Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever (Revelation 11:15; NLT).
Jesus Christ reigns supreme! (Philippians 2:11; TIB).
3. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated – the world was not worthy of them (Hebrews 11:36-8; NIV).
I heard a loud voice calling from the throne, “Look! God’s Tabernacle is among humankind! God will live with them; they will be God’s people, and God will be fully present among them. The Most High will wipe away every tear from their eyes. And death, mourning, crying and pain will be no more, for the old order has fallen. The One who sat on the throne said, “Look! I’m making everything new!” and added, “Write this, for what I am saying is trustworthy and true” (Revelation 21:3-5; TIB).
The LORD will mediate between nations and will settle international disputes. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore (Isaiah 2:4; NLT).
4. You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you (Luke 17:21; NLT).
Then I saw new heavens and a new earth. The former heavens and the former earth had passed away, and the sea existed no longer. I also saw a new Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down out of heaven from God, beautiful as a bride and groom on their wedding day (Revelation 21:1-2; TIB).
At the name of Jesus every knee will bow - in heaven and on earth and under the earth - and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11; CSB).
Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them (1 John 4:16; NIV).
Context: After yesterday’s very concentrated writing effort, today I’m posting a much shorter blog I prepared a little while ago. At present, my energy for writing is in very short supply. However, since I started this website in 2013, I have always had some unpublished pieces set aside, ready to use during the periods when I can’t write. Here is one I’m glad to have the opportunity to share with you:
Be sure of this: I am with you always.
(Matthew 28:20; NLT).
Wherever I go, we go there together.
However I feel, we share it, as one.
Whenever I fail, we mourn it together,
For you never leave me,
My Saviour, God’s Son.
Whatever I lose, we face it together.
Wherever I am, you’re close by my side.
Whatever I bear, we bear it together,
For you never leave me,
Good Shepherd, my Guide.
Whatever you ask, we face it together.
Whatever you take, *I give with a smile.
Whenever I fear, I turn to you swiftly,
For you never leave me
Throughout every trial.
*Give whatever he takes, with a big smile.
(Mother Theresa).
Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.
(Psalm 23:4; NLT).
