Month: May 2021

Who am I?

Ruth Kirk

Who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us
(1 Chronicles 29:14; NLT).

Who am I, to search for you, Lord?
Who am I, to ask for grace?

Who am I, to beg your mercy?
Who am I, to seek your face?

Who am I, to hear your whisper?
Who am I, to praise your name?

Who am I, to live within you?
Who am I, to share your pain?

Who am I, that you forgive me?
Who am I, that you should hear?

Who am I, that you protect me?
Who am I, that you are near?

Who am I, that you should love me?
Who am I, that you should save?

Lord, I’m your unworthy servant;
Nothing, but your lowest slave.

I am your lowest slave
(Psalm 116:16; NET).

Look

Ruth Kirk

The Lord God took the man
and put him in the Garden of Eden
to work it and take care of it
(Genesis 2:15; NIV).

Look at our selfishness,
Wastage,
And greed.

Look at our conflict,
And all those
In need.

Look at our prejudice,
Hatred,
And blame.

Look at our evil,
And bow down,
In shame.

Turn from your evil ways, each of you,
and do what is right
(Jeremiah 18:11; NLT).

Beyond all time

Ruth Kirk

All glory to him who alone is God, our Saviour through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time (Jude 1:25; NLT).

1. Beyond all time,
Beyond all space,
Is God, who makes
The human race.

2. Amidst all gain,
Amidst all loss,
Is God, who suffers
On the cross.

3. Within all love,
Within all hate,
Is God, who saves
The desolate.

4. Beneath all depth,
Above all height,
Concealed in darkness,
God is light.


References

1. He gives breath to everyone, life to everyone who walks the earth
(Isaiah 42:5; NLT).

2. Praise be to the Lord, to God our Saviour, who daily bears our burdens
(Psalm 68:19; NIV).

3. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed
(Psalm 34:18; NLT).

4. Clouds and thick darkness surround him
(Psalm 97:2; NIV).

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

My offering

Ruth Kirk

Bring your offering and come into his presence
(1 Chronicles 16:29; NLT).

1. Silence
Is my offering,

2. And stillness,
All I have to share;

3. Solitude,
My sacrifice,

4. And darkness, Lord,
My only prayer.


References

1. Be silent before the Sovereign Lord (Zephaniah 1:7; NIV).

2. Be still, and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10; NIV).

3. When you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private (Matthew 6:6; NLT).

4. If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the Lord and rely on your God (Isaiah 50:10; NLT).

Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light (Micah 7:8; NLT).

Headaches

Ruth Kirk

In pain you will give birth
(Genesis 3:16; NLT).

My headaches
Are a symptom, Lord,
Of buried anguish
I must face.

Please help me
While I labour
To deliver
What I must embrace.

Then take to heart
The truth each tells –
And watch, Lord,
As the pain dispels.

He reveals deep and mysterious things
and knows what lies hidden in darkness
(Daniel 2:22; NLT).

Rest

Ruth Kirk

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

Father,

Life is tough,
And change is hard.

Please help me to live
More restfully,

By doing only one task at a time,
Never hurrying,

And taking the pressure off everything –
Even prayer,

Until my soul finds rest, at last,
In you.


My soul finds rest in God
(Psalm 62:1; NIV).

Rest

Ruth Kirk

I have suffered from Chronic Fatigue since 2005. This means that my energy is always very limited. Exhaustion often forces me to rest, regardless of what I want, or need, to do.

Until today, I have always understood ‘rest’ as time spent sitting down, or being in bed.

However, to my astonishment, God has now shown me that rest can also be a state of mind, and even a way of life.

With this approach, whether or not I am active, living restfully means noticing my sensations, thoughts, and emotions as they occur, acknowledging their reality without judgement, then sharing them simply and honestly with God.

Hopefully, this process will teach me how I need to change in order to live more restfully, so I can be at peace with myself, with God, with others, and the world. 

References

My soul finds rest in God (Palm 62:1; NIV). 

Underneath our troubles

Ruth Kirk

Underneath you are his eternal arms
(Deuteronomy 33:27; NET).

1. Underneath our troubles,
When we must face the test
Of worry, fear, or loneliness:
Lord, may we find your rest.

2. Underneath our sorrows,
When we live with the pain
Of anguish, loss, or suffering:
May we find hope again.

3. Underneath our questions,
When we go far astray
Through error, sin, or unbelief:
Lord, may we find your way.

4. Underneath our burdens,
When we approach each chore
With heavy heart, or weariness:
May we find peace, once more.

Keep on seeking and you will find
(Matthew 7:7; NLT).

References

1. My life is full of troubles (Psalm 88:3; NLT).

The Lord tests the heart (Proverbs 17:3; NLT).

I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28; NLT).

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

You care about the anguish of my soul (Psalm 31:7; NLT).

I will put my hope in God (Psalm 42:5; NLT).

3. They finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious leaders, listening to them and asking questions (Luke 2:46; NLT).

I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief! (Mark 9:24; NLT).

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

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

The peace I give is a gift the world cannot give (John 14:27; NIV).

First and Last

Ruth Kirk

I alone am God, the First and the Last
(Isaiah 48:12; NLT).

1. What God wants
Comes first.

2. What God wants
Is good.

3. What God wants
Is mercy.

4. What God wants
Is love.

5. What we want
Is fleeting.

6. What we want
Is past.

7. What we want
Is fruitless.

8. What we want
Comes last.

Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us
(Colossians 3:11; NLT).


References

1. Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent” (John 6:29; NLT).

2. Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect (Romans 12:2; NLT).

3. If you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless (Matthew 12:7; NKJV).

4. Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40; NLT).

5. Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting (Proverbs 31:30; NIV).

The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away (Job 1:21; NLT).

He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin (Hebrews 11:25; NLT).

6. Stop sinning and do what is right. Break from your wicked past and be merciful to the poor (Daniel 4:27; NLT).

It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20; NLT).

7. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives (Galatians 5:24-5; NLT).

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-3; NRSV).

8. Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else (Mark 9:35; NLT).

Transformation (with thanks to A.K.)

Ruth Kirk

“Only God can turn the dark night into glorious heavenly light” (Alan Kearns)

Lord,
Turn our anguish
Into peace;
Our darkness
Into dazzling light.

Lord,
Turn our sorrow
Into joy;
Our blindness
Into perfect sight.

Lord,
Turn our judgements
Into love;
Our sickness
Into welcome rest.

Lord,
Turn our dying
Into life eternal –
When we’ve faced
Each test.

References

Lord, see my anguish! My heart is broken and my soul despairs (Lamentations 1:20; NLT).

The Lord turns my darkness into light (2 Samuel 22:29; NIV).

Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me – now let me rejoice (Psalm 51:8; NLT).

The Lord gives sight to the blind (Psalm 146:8; NIV).

Do not judge others, and you will not be judged (Luke 6:37; NLT).

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them (Romans 12:9; NLT).

The Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said: “You will be delivered by returning and resting; your strength will lie in quiet confidence” (Isaiah 30:15; CSB).

Our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies (1 Corinthians 15:53; NLT).

Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying” (John 11:25; NLT).

The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul (Deuteronomy 13:3; NIV).