Month: July 2024

Even when…

Ruth Kirk

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).

Even when we cannot pray,
We’re in the hands of God;
And, when we do wrong, and stray,
We’re in the hands of God. 

Even when our hearts are scarred,
We’re in the hands of God;
And, when giving thanks is hard,
We’re in the hands of God.

Even when we can’t rejoice,
We’re in the hands of God;
And, when we can’t hear his voice,
We’re in the hands of God.

Every living creature is in the hands of God (Job 12:10; CEV).

Nursing home prayer

Ruth Kirk

Waking in God’s hands is surely the most precious moment of the day. Then, as soon as I begin to pray, new writing often arrives. Today’s blog, for example, was given to me in the early morning, after my first night in the nursing home.

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them (1 Timothy 2:1; NLT).

I’ll try to pray for those who live here,
And for all who speak to me;
For everyone I greet, Lord God,
And those I hear and see.

I’ll try to pray for all the lonely,
Learn their names, their past, their creed;
To intercede for those in pain,
And plead, Lord God, for all in need.

I’ll try to pray for those who help us,
All who cook, and wash up, too;
Those who nurse, and serve, and clean –
For all of us are loved by You.

Praise the LORD, all you nations. Praise him, all you people of the earth. For he loves us with unfailing love; the LORD’s faithfulness endures forever. Praise the LORD! (Psalm 117:1-2; NLT)

You alone

Ruth Kirk

On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night (Psalm 63:6; NIV).

Cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord (Lamentations 2:19; NIV).

In the watches of the night,
You alone, my Lord, shine bright.
Trusting you to lead the way,
Lord, I turn to you, and pray.

In the darkness of the night,
You alone, my Lord, are light.
So, despite my grief and pain,
You, Lord, give me hope again.

In the silence of the night,
You, alone, my Lord, invite
Me to spend some time with you –
And every word you speak is true.

In the anguish of the night,
You, alone, my Lord, unite
With me, bring peace, and fortitude,
And fill my heart with gratitude.

The LORD strengthens and protects me; I trust in him with all my heart. I am rescued and my heart is full of joy; I will sing to him in gratitude (Psalm 28:7; NET).

 

Prompt me

Ruth Kirk

May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do (2 Thessalonians 1:11; NLT).

Lord,
Please prompt my heart to pray
For everyone in need, today.

Lord,
Please move my heart to pray
For everyone who grieves, today.

Lord,
Please spur my heart to pray
For everyone in pain, today.

Lord,
Please urge my heart to pray
For everyone who dies, today.

We do not know what prayer to offer or how to offer it as we should, but the Spirit Himself [knows our need and at the right time] intercedes on our behalf with sighs and groanings too deep for words. And He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because the Spirit intercedes [before God] on behalf of God’s people in accordance with God’s will (Romans 8:26-7; AMP).

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf (1 Timothy 2:1; NLT).

We adore you

Ruth Kirk

Hello everyone. I pray for you all each day. Today I am moving from respite care to a nursing home. I don’t know what the WiFi will be like until I get there, but I hope it will be sufficiently powerful and reliable for me to continue posting this blog. Anyway, I will do my best to reach out to you tomorrow morning, as usual. With much love, from Ruth xxx

Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O LORD, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things (1 Chronicles 29:11; NLT).

Lord, our Father,
We adore you,
So we lift our hands
In praise.

Lord, our Saviour,
We adore you,
So we follow
All our days.

Lord, our Teacher,
We adore you,
So we listen
To your voice.

Lord, our God,
We love you dearly,
So we worship
And rejoice.

Lord, You know all things; You know that I dearly love You (John 21:17; BLB).

Tell God (for D.Q.)

Ruth Kirk

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need (Philippians 4:6; NLT).

Tell God all you long for;
Tell God all your needs;
Tell God all your troubles –
Now your prayer’s begun.

Tell God what you thirst for:
The Spirit intercedes;
Tell God all your heart’s desire –
Then say, “Your will be done”.

He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! 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).

I can manage

Ruth Kirk

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).

I can manage without anything
But you, Lord:

However hard life gets,
You’re always here.

Nothing at all can sever me
From you, Lord,

For we are one:
With you, I will not fear.

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).

Orans praise

Ruth Kirk

There is an article about the orans tradition of praying with uplifted hands on this link: https://wp.me/p45bCr-bb8

I lift up my hands in Your Name (Psalm 63:4; LSV).

In your dear Name
I lift my hands
To join in with
The angel bands
Who praise you, Yahweh,
Day and night –
For you are mercy, love,
And light.

In your dear Name
I lift my hands
To join in with
The angel bands
Who praise your Son, Lord,
Night and day –
Your Living Word;
Our life; our way.

In your dear Name
I lift my hands
To join in with
The angel bands
Who praise your Spirit,
Without end –
One God: our Saviour,
And our Friend.

I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me (John 15:15; NLT).

Now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God (Romans 5:11; NLT).

My Lord and my God

Ruth Kirk

“My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed (John 20:28; NLT).

You are my Lord:
My Saviour; my Friend;
My way, truth and life;
My beginning; my end.

You are my God:
My Maker; my soul;
My shield and defender;
My breath, and my goal.

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14; NIV).

A reading from Philippians 3:8-11; 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. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!