Month: January 2020

Wake from the nightmare

Ruth Kirk
Image: Johannesburg Plenio, Pixabay

Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows
(John 16:33; NLT).

1. Let’s wake from the the nightmare
Of childhood,
And think of the mountains
We’ve crossed.

2. Let’s cast off the hell
Of our parents,
And rise above all
We have lost.

3. Let’s wake in the light
Of God’s kingdom
To think of his Son,
And forgive.

4. Let’s cast off depression
And darkness,
And rise in his strength –
Then we’ll live!

Image: nonmisvegliate, Pixabay

References

1. Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you (Ephesians 5:14; NIV).

The gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult (Matthew 7:14; NLT).

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).

2. Banish anxiety from you heart and and cast off the troubles of your body (Ecclesiastes 11:10; NIV).

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised (Job 1:21; NIV).

3. [Give] joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light (Colossians 1:12; NIV).

If you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you (Matthew 6:14; NIV).

4. Those who wait for the Lord’s help find renewed strength; they rise up as if they had eagles’ wings, they run without growing weary, they walk without getting tired (Isaiah 40:31; NET).

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10; NLT).

Every illness

Ruth Kirk
Image: Christine Kugel, Pixabay

A wise person thinks a lot about death (Ecclesiastes 7:4; NLT).

1. Every illness helps us
To prepare ourselves
For death.

2. Working to accept each loss
Will help us give up life
And breath.

3. May we welcome all our trials
With courage, thanks, Lord,
Joy and grace,

4. For each one brings us ever closer
To your kiss,
And your embrace.

References

1. A wise person thinks a lot about death (Ecclesiastes 7:4; NLT).

2. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord (Job 1:21; NIV).

3. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows (John 16:33; 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. The dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7; NIV).

While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him (Luke 15:20; NIV).

A day full of shadows

Ruth Kirk


1. A day full of shadows,
A night full of pain;

2. A dawning in darkness
To suffer again.

3. A mountain of torment,
A torrent of fears –

4. Where did my freedom go?
Melting in tears.

5. An infinite sentence
Of chronic ill-health

6. And the loss of life’s riches –
But God is my wealth.

References

1. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me (Psalm 23:4; KJV).

He was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood (Luke 22:44; NLT).

2. At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock (Mark 15:33; NLT).

3. Days of suffering torment me (Job 30:27; NLT).

4. When you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go (John 21:18; NIV).

5. Why is light given to those in misery, and life to the bitter of soul, to those that long for death that does not come, who search for it more than hidden treasure? (Job3:20-2; NIV).

6. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord (Job 1:21; NIV).

How great are God’s riches of wisdom and knowledge! (Romans 11:33; NLT).

For all my sins

Ruth Kirk
Image: Diana de Weert, Pixabay

1. For all my sins
Throughout this life:
Father, please forgive me.

2. In all the suffering
I bear:
Father God, please heal me.

3. When I must leave
This world behind:
Father, please redeem me.

4. And when I stand
Before you, Lord:
Be merciful, and crown me.

Reference

He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies (Psalm 103:3-4; NLT).

One with God

Ruth Kirk
Image: Gerd Altmann, Pixabay

1. You watch us, Lord;
We watch for you.

2. You long for us;
We long for you.

3. You wait for us;
We wait for you.

4. You hear our voice,
And we hear you.

5. You love us, Lord,
And we love you.

6. You share our pain;
We share yours, too.

7. You live in us;
We live in you.

8. You’re one with us;
We’re one with you.

References

1. I will advise you and watch over you (Psalm 32:8; NLT).

Don’t let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning […] Watch for him! (Mark 13:36-7; NLT).

2. The Lord longs to be gracious to you (Isaiah 30:18: NIV).

As a deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God (Psalm 42:1; NET).

3. The Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion (Isaiah 30:18; NLT).

For God alone my soul waits in silence (Psalm 62:1; ESV).

4. He hears my voice (Psalm 116:1; NLT).

God speaks again and again (Job 33:14; NLT).

5. He loves us with unfailing love (Psalm 117:2; NLT).

I love you, Lord (Psalm 18:1; NLT).

6. In all their suffering he also suffered (Isaiah 63:9; NLT).

Since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too (1 Peter 4:1; NLT).

Jesus told them, “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup” Matthew 20:23; NLT).

7. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them (1 John 4:16; NIV).

8. Whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17; NIV). 

Waiting

Ruth Kirk

The Lord must wait for you to come to him
so he can show you his love and compassion (Isaiah 30:18; NLT).

Keep on seeking and you will find (Luke 11:9; NLT). 

1. Your sacred lamp
Burns low in us,
Just waiting to be seen;

2. Your blissful peace
Endures in us,
Though trouble reigns supreme.

3. Your joyous truth
Survives in us,
Just waiting to be known;

4. Your perfect love
Stands by in us
To change our hearts of stone.

5. Your glowing embers
Stir in us,
Just waiting to ignite;

6. Your precious Son
Remains in us
To guide, and to delight.

7. Your Holy Ghost
Marks time in us,
Just waiting to appear;

8. Your still, small voice
Sighs in us, Lord –
If only we would hear.

References

1. God is light (1 John 1:5; NLT). 

2. The Lord is peace (Judges 6:24; NLT).

Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows (John 16:33; NLT).

3. The Spirit is truth (1 John 5:6; NKJV).

4. God is love (1 John 4:16; NLT).

I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26; NIV).

5. The Lord your God is a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24; NIV). 

6. Christ lives within you (Romans 8:10; NLT).

I will remain in you (John 15:4; NLT).

7. You have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you (1 John 2:27; NLT).

8. After the fire [came] a still small voice (1 Kings 19:12; NKJV).

The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words (Romans 8:26; NRSV).

Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts  (Hebrews 4:7; NLT).

After death

Ruth Kirk

After death, Lord, all of us
Will meet those we abused.
Then we’ll grasp how much we damaged
Those we have misused.

We will face our callous deeds,
The hurtful words we spoke,
Until we beg forgiveness
From all those hearts we broke.

Help us now, instead, to change,
Say: Sorry, Lord, and try
To live more like your only Son
On earth, before we die.

References

The time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgement (John 5:29; NLT).

Now I will pour put judgement on you for the evil you have done to them (Jeremiah 23:2; NLT).

Human pride will be humbled, and human arrogance will be brought down. Only the Lord will be exalted on the day of judgement (Isaiah 2:17; NLT).

You should fear punishment yourselves, for your attitude deserves punishment. Then you will know that there is indeed a judgement (Job 19:29; NLT).

If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift (Matthew 5:23-4; NIV).

As we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgement, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world (1 John 4:17; NLT).

The Kingdom of God

Ruth Kirk


The Kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21; NKJV).

1. The Kingdom of God
Is within you:
Trust in his mercy
And might.

2. The Kingdom of God
Is within you:
Live in his presence
And light.

3. The Kingdom of God
Is within you:
Honour his name
Without cease.

4. The Kingdom of God
Is within you:
Rest in his love,
And his peace.

References

1. I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever (Psalm 52:8; NKJV).

Trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God (1 Corinthians 2:5; NLT).

2. He will restore us, so that we may live in his presence (Hosea 6:2; NLT).

He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light (Colossians 1:12; NLT).

3. Honour the Lord for the glory of his name (Psalm 29:2; NLT).

Rejoice always (1 Thessalonians 5:16; NIV).

4. Come to me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28; NLT).

He loves us with unfailing love (Psalm 117:2; NLT).

His peace will guard your hearts and minds (Philippians 4:7; NLT).

May we eat your bread

Ruth Kirk


1. Father,
May we eat your bread
Until we share
The mind of Christ;

2. Father,
May we drink your wine;
Our hearts
Your willing sacrifice;

3. Father,
May we dwell in you,
Until our souls
Reflect Christ’s worth:

4. Then, we will
Be one with you,
And spend our lives
In heaven on earth.

References

1. We have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16; NLT).

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5; NKJV).

2. 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 26:28; NLT).

If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine (Matthew 26:39; NLT).

3. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them (1 John 4:16; NIV).

Everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord (Philippians 3:8; NLT).

4. Whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17; NIV).

The kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21; NKJV).

Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven (Philippians 1:27; NLT).

May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10; NLT).

In human form

Ruth Kirk
Image: Gerd Altman, Pixabay

In Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form
(Colossians 2:9; NIV).

1. Christ is light in human form:
The light that leads to life.

2. Christ is fire in flesh and blood,
Consuming greed and vice.

3. Christ is truth personified:
As honest as the day.

4. Christ is peace made manifest;
He is our peaceful way.

5. Christ is God incarnate here,
His Spirit, like a dove,

6. Descends from heaven, revealing that
The King of kings is love.

References

1. God is light (1 John 1:5; NIV).

I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life (John 8:12; NLT).

2. God is a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24; NIV).

I have come to set the world on fire (Luke 12:49; NLT).

Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables (John 2:15; NLT).

3. The Spirit is truth (1 John 5:6; NKJV).

Jesus told him, “I am […] the truth” (John 14:6; NLT).

4. The Lord is peace (Judges 6:24; NLT).

The Dayspring from on high has visited us […] to guide our feet into the way of peace (Luke 1:78-9; NKJV).

Jesus told him, “I am the way” (John 14:6; NLT).

5. Christ is the visible image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15; NLT).

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being
(Hebrews 1:3; NIV).

Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! (John 14:9; NLT).

6. When he had been baptised, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:16-17; NKJV).

God is love (1 John 4:16; NLT).