Author: Ruth Kirk

30.11.23: Prayer

Ruth Kirk

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done (Philippians 4:6; NLT). 

Tell God all you want to say,
And listen, to your heart’s content.

Next, fall silent in His arms,
Waiting for the One He sent.

Then, with Christ, in life and death,
Just close your eyes; receive his grace –

In stillness, you will know His love;
In darkness, you will see His face.

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

I will see you face to face and be satisfied (Psalm 17:15; NLT).

29.11.23: May I say, “Yes”

Ruth Kirk

Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word (Luke 1:38; KJV).

May I say, “Yes”,
To all You give,
And all You take away.

May I give thanks,
And worship, Lord,
And praise You every day.

May I rejoice,
Love others, Lord,
And serve in all I do.

Then You will live
In me, Lord God,
And I will live in You.

We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them (1 John 4:16; NLT). 

28.11.23: For others

Ruth Kirk


Pray for all people.
(1 Timothy 2:1; NLT).

For others, I pray:
Please heal them,
Lord God;

For my self, Lord:
May your will
Be done.

He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
(Matthew 26:42; NIV), 

References

The prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well (James 5:15; NIV).

To keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh… Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 11:7-9; NLT).

27.11.23: I breathe you in

Ruth Kirk

The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
(Job 33:4; NLT). 

I breathe you in,
And breathe you out,
Without a word,
Or thought, or doubt.

You breathe within:
I share your breath
Unceasingly,
Until my death.

Lord, we are one:
You live in me,
And I in you,
Eternally.

Both life and death
Are your domain:
With silent love,
I praise your name.

On earth, below,
In bliss, above,
Through silence, Lord,
We share our love.

I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.
(Song of Songs 6:3; NIV). 

26.11.23: These three reman

Ruth Kirk

These three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
(1 Corinthians 13:13; NIV).

These three remain:
Faith, hope and love,
For all the rest is dross.

These three remain:
Faith, hope and love,
In anguish, grief, and loss.

These three remain:
Faith, hope and love,
Yet Christ is greater still –

Because He gave
His life for us,
When He obeyed God’s will.

Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.”
(Matthew 26:42; NLT).

References 

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; NLT).

And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground (Luke 22:44; NIV). 

At three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”) (Mark 15:34; NIV).

Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last (Luke 23:46; NIV). 

Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live (Galatians 1:4; NLT).

He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone (1 Timothy 2:6; NLT). 

25.11.23: Your holy face (for J.Y.)

Ruth Kirk

Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.
(Luke 24:31; NLT).

Faith remains, for now,
But when it’s lost, Lord,
May we recognise
Your presence.

Hope remains, for now,
But when it fades, Lord,
May we understand
Your grace.

Love remains, for now, 
But when it’s crushed, Lord,
May we comprehend
Your passion.

Life remains, for now,
But when it’s done, Lord,
We will see
Your Holy Face.

I will see you face to face and be satisfied.
(Psalm 17:15; NLT). 

References

These three remain: faith, hope and love (1 Corinthians 13:13; NLT).

At three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”) (Mark 15:34; NIV).

Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last (Luke 23:46; NIV).

Now we see through a glass darkly. But then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know, even as I am known (1 Corinthians 13:12; CPDV).

They will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads (Revelation 22:4; NLT).

24.11.23: Our Godhead

Ruth Kirk

Hello, friends. From today onwards, I will be posting my blog every evening, rather than every morning. This should release me from the daily conflict between wanting to pray, and the pressure to publish each day’s blog as early as possible. I hope it will also prove helpful for early risers to find the day’s blog in their email in-box as soon as they wake up, rather than having to wait for its arrival.

✝️   With love and thanks to all who visit and follow here, from Ruth xxxxxx

O Lord, you are our God (2 Chronicles 14:11; NLT).

Yahweh: Our Godhead,
Beyond time and space;

Christ: God incarnate,
The Lord’s human face;

Spirit: God’s presence,
Infallible grace –

Lord: you are Love,
May all know your embrace.

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* (Luke 15:20; NLT).

References

Verse 1:

The LORD our God, the LORD is one (Deuteronomy 6:4; NIV). 

For you, a thousand years are as a passing day, as brief as a few night hours (Psalm 90:4; NLT). 

God looks down from heaven on the entire human race (Psalm 53:2; NLT). 

God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end (Ecclesiastes 3:11; NLT). 

Verse 2:

In him [Christ] is embodied all the fulness of the Godhead (Colossians 2:10; LB).

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14; NIV).

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).

For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12; NIV). 

Verse 3:

I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever – the Spirit of Truth (John 14:16; NIV).

I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! (Psalm 139:7; NLT). 

God is Spirit (John 4:24; NLT). 

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

I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family ofDavid and on the people of Jerusalem (Zechariah 12:10; NLT).

Verse 4:

God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them (1 John 4:16; NLT).

Note:

*This verse is taken from the parable of the prodigal son. If you would like to read the whole parable, it can be found in any Bible translation: Luke 15:11-32.  

23.11.23: One with Christ

Ruth Kirk

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).

May we be one with Christ
In prayer:
Joining with him
In peace and love.

May we be one with Christ
In all:
Seeing his face
In friend and foe.

May we be one with Christ
In joy:
Praising with those
In heaven above.

May we be one with Christ
In grief:
Yielding with him
On earth below.

Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done” (Matthew 26:36-9, 42; NLT).

References

I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one – as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me (John 17:21-3; NLT).

You are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28; NLT).

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

Your immortal spirit is in every one of them (Wisdom of Solomon 12:1; GNTA).

Love your neighbour as yourself (Leviticus 19:18; NLT).

Love your enemies (Matthew 5:44; NLT).

I heard what sounded like a vast crowd in heaven shouting, “Praise the LORD! (Revelation 19:1; NLT).

He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death” (Matthew 26:38; NLT).

22.11.23: My future

Ruth Kirk

My future is in your hands (Psalm 31.15. NLT).

Lord,

I’ve put my future
In your hands.

So, every time
I snatch it back,

Starting to fret
About what life might bring,

Please prompt me to return it
To your care,

Accepting, afresh,
The good and bad you send,

With thanks, and childlike trust, Lord,
In your love.

He loves us with unfailing love; the LORD’s faithfulness endures forever (Psalm 117:2; NLT).

References 

The life of every living thing is in his hand, and the breath of every human being (Job 12:10; NLT).

I create the light and make the darkness. I send good times and bad times. I, the LORD, am the one who does these things (Isaiah 45:7; NLT).

The LORD gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the LORD (Job 1:21; CSB).

I want your will to be done, not mine (Luke 22:42; NLT).

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18; NLT).

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done (Philippians 4:6; NLT).

I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it (Luke 18:17; NLT).

I trust in your unfailing love (Psalm 13:5; NLT).

21.11.23: You know me

Ruth Kirk

I confess my sins; I am deeply sorry for what I have done.
(Psalm 38:18; NLT). 

When I say, each day, “I’m sorry”,
You don’t want my lame excuses,
My defences serve no purpose:
Lord, you know exactly what I’ve done.

When I ask for your forgiveness,
You don’t like my sly evasions,
You don’t need my mitigations:
Lord, you know exactly what I’ve said.

When I beg for absolution,
You refuse my explanations,
My denials make no difference:
Lord, you know exactly what I’ve thought.

Yet, when I must stand before you,
You will not reject me, for you sent
And shared my trials and sorrows,
So your Spirit, deep within me,
Pleads on my behalf for mercy:
Lord, you are my Maker, and my Soul.

The LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
(Genesis 2:7; KJV).

References 

You know everything I do (Psalm 139:3; NLT).

 You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD (Psalm 139:4; NLT).

Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely (Psalm 139:4; NIV). 

You perceive my thoughts (Psalm 139:2; NIV).

LORD, you know my heart (Jeremiah 12:3; NLT). 

O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me (Psalm 139:1; NLT).

The words you speak come from the heart – that’s what defiles you. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you (Matthew 15:18-20; NLT).

The LORD will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance (Psalm 94:14; NIV).

I create the light and make the darkness. I send good times and bad times. I, the LORD, am the one who does these things (Isaiah 45:7; NLT).

I will rejoice and be glad in your faithful love because you have seen my affliction. You know the troubles of my soul (Psalm 31:7; CSB). 

Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows (Isaiah 53:4; NKJV). 

In all their suffering he also suffered, and he personally rescued them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them. He lifted them up and carried them through all the years (Isaiah 63:9; NLT). 

What is the hope of the sinner when he is cut off, when God takes back his soul? (Job 27:8; BBE).

You are the temple of the living God (2 Corinthians 6:16; NKJV).

The Spirit [comes to us and] helps us in our weakness. 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).

Yahweh is mercy and tenderness (Psalm 111:4; NJB).

God will get back my soul (Psalm 49:15; BBE).

God will redeem me from the realm of the dead; he will surely take me to himself (Psalm 49:15; NIV).

The dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7; NIV).

He loves us with unfailing love; the LORD’s faithfulness endures forever. Praise the LORD! (Psalm 117:2; NLT).