I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss (Lamentations 3:20; NLT).
I pray for all
Who live with loss,
Who, daily, must take up
Their cross,
Facing their heartbreak,
And their tears,
Their desolation,
And their fears.
I pray for all
Who live with grief,
Who bear their cross
Without relief,
Facing each trouble
On their own,
Clinging, Lord God,
To you, alone.
I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely (Psalm 63:8; NLT).
Today’s prayer arrived when I was praying sleepily after waking up late. My nights are often very short and disturbed, so I’m always grateful when I sleep for longer than usual. I saw the beginning and the structure of whole piece first, then the words simply fell into place.
All I have is yours (John 17:10; NIV).
Take my mind, Lord,
Take my heart,
Take my body –
As you will.
Take my friends, Lord,
Take my life,
And take my soul –
I’ll love you still.
I love you, LORD, my strength (Psalm 18:1; NIV).
References
Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will leave this life. The LORD gives, and the LORD takes away. Blessed be the name of the LORD (Job 1:21; CSB).
My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done (Matthew 26:42; NLT).
I want your will to be done, not mine (Luke 22:42; NLT).
You have taken from me friend and neighbor – darkness is my closest friend (Psalm 88:18; NIV).
You take away life, and you give life (1 Samuel 2:6; CEV).
Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! (Habakkuk 3:17-18; NLT).
The dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7; NIV).
On Monday night I laid down to sleep, turned off my light, and said the *Nunc Dimittis, as usual (please look just below today’s references for this glorious canticle). Then I prayed quietly about the state of the world, feeling sad and rather tearful. Soon, the first verse of today’s prayer arrived, which rarely happens at night. Fortunately, it was quick and easy to write down on my iPad in the dark.
The next day, having completed the references, and just when I thought the whole blog was finished, a second verse arrived completely unexpectedly. Then I knew it was finished.
Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light (Micah 7:8; NLT).
In darkness, I pray, Lord,
In silence, I weep;
In stillness, I sigh, Lord,
And then try to sleep.
But when I can’t sleep, Lord,
And can’t even pray,
Please help me to cling to you, Lord,
Till next day.
I cling to you; your right hand upholds me (Psalm 63:8; NIV).
God has taken his place in her; she will not be moved: he will come to her help at the dawn of morning (Psalm 46:5; BBE).
* The Nunc Dimittis: Luke 2:29-32; KJV.
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
I feel so concerned about the dreadful news from all around the world that today I have taken refuge in a personal song of praise for God:
I will praise the LORD, and may everyone on earth bless his holy name forever and ever (Psalm 145:21; NLT).
I praise and bless your holy name,
And follow you, my Lord, who came
To set my hard, cold heart aflame
Through love.
Although I’m weary, sick and lame,
Your kingdom is my only aim:
Lord, please replace my sin and shame
With love.
Support my wretched, failing frame,
And neither judge me, Lord, nor blame,
But help my spirit to proclaim
Your love.
It is good to proclaim your unfailing love (Psalm 92:2; NLT).
Yesterday, migraine made my constant hot sweats harder than usual to tolerate patiently. I wrote nothing in the morning, and felt depressed, lonely and isolated. Then, at about 4.30pm, to my great surprise, today’s prayer came to me. Reminding me of the only wise way forward, it brought a moment of relief, and even hope, to an otherwise unrelievedly grey day.
Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted (Psalm 25:16; NIV).
I am deeply depressed (Psalm 42:6; CSB).
Prince of Peace,
I cannot change
How lonely and depressed
I feel,
So, instead,
I turn to you,
And beg you, Lord,
Hear my appeal:
Strengthen me
To face this daily struggle,
Or my heart
Will break;
Help me to accept,
Endure,
And bear my cross,
For your love’s sake.
Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23; NLT).
In sharp contrast to yesterday’s prayer for peace (see: https://wp.me/p45bCr-eu7), today’s is an outpouring of love and praise for God, and for all creation:
May the Lord make your love increase and overflow (1 Thessalonians 3:12; NIV).
1. Lord,
My heart is full of love
For land, sea, sky,
And heaven above;
2. For life on earth
And all it brings;
For day and night;
Each star that sings:
3. May every voice
Be raised to you
In joyful praise,
O King of kings.
On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS (Revelation 19:16; NIV).
References
Verse 1: The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands! (Isaiah 55:12; NLT).
The meadows are clothed with flocks of sheep, and the valleys are carpeted with grain. They all shout and sing for joy! Psalm 65:13; NLT).
Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the earth and all living things join in. Let the rivers clap their hands in glee! Let the hills sing out their songs of joy before the LORD (Psalm 98:7-9; NLT).
Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done this wondrous thing. Shout for joy, O depths of the earth! Break into song, O mountains and forests and every tree! (Isaiah 44:23; NLT).
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world (Psalm 19:1-4; NIV).
Verse 2: Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble? (Job 2:10; NIV).
Everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen (Romans 11:36; NLT).
In the singing together of stars of the morning…all sons of God shout for joy (Job 38:7; YLT).
Verse 3: “As surely as I live,” says the LORD, “every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will confess and give praise to God” (Romans 14:11; NLT).
Shout to God with joyful praise! (Psalm 47:1; NLT).
We praise your name alone (Isaiah 26:13; NET).
I woke early today, and immediately began to pray about the dreadful situation in Ukraine and Russia. Within a few minutes, these verses started to flow, and I had to “break off” from praying in order to write them down.
As I wrote, I began to realise that perhaps I wasn’t really “breaking off” at all, because the act of struggling to put what I saw into words was simply a continuation of my prayer. I’ve seen this intellectually for a long time, but today I saw and felt its truth – for a short while, at least.
This is the fastest I have ever written a prayer, then published it immediately, but I have been driven to do so today, so it’s not as polished as usual. Please forgive my shortcomings: I will continue to develop this piece during the day.
You will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately (Matthew 24:6; NLT).
If only you had paid attention to my commandments! Your peace would have been like a river, and your justice would have been like the waves of the sea (Isaiah 48:18; CPDV).
Keep praying for peace,
And never give up –
Though things look hopeless,
Never give up.
Keep pleading for justice,
And never give in –
Though it seems useless,
Never give in.
Keep begging for truth,
And never give way –
Though it seems futile,
Never give way.
Lord, You have plans
We can’t understand –
Thy Kingdom come,
And thy will be done.
May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10; NLT).
Give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace (Zechariah 8:17; NKJV).
This prayer-poem arose during wordless prayer yesterday morning:
Be still in the presence of the LORD (Psalm 37:7; NLT).
Out of my stillness,
Out of my silence,
Out of my darkness,
And out of my depth,
Lord, comes your Dayspring,
Lord, comes your Spirit,
Lord, comes your voice, and your Word,
And your breath.
One day, in stillness,
One day, in silence,
One day, in darkness,
You’ll take me, in death.
God will redeem me from the world of the dead; he will surely take me to himself (Psalm 49:15; NIV).
This prayer came to me at bedtime one evening, when I was saying goodnight before my icon of Jesus:
He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in their beds (Job 33:15; NLT).
I will fear no evil, for you are with me (Psalm 23:4; NIV).
Even in my dreams you’re with me:
All around me and within.
Even in my dreams you love me,
And protect me from all sin.
Even in my dreams you teach me:
Always walking by my side.
Even in my dreams you help me:
Lord, my Shepherd, and my Guide.
He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake (Psalm 23:3; NIV).
I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me (Psalm 3:5; NIV).
Draw near to God and he will draw near to you (James 4:8; NKJV).
I breathe you in,
And breathe you out,
Hearing your sacred call;
I breathe you in,
And breathe you out,
Sharing your love and peace.
I breathe you in,
And breathe you out,
Spreading your joy to all;
I breathe you in,
And breathe you out,
Lord, till my soul’s release.
Then he bowed his head and released his spirit (John 19:30; NLT).
The dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7; NIV).