Category: anguish

Look for the Father

Ruth Kirk

Image: Dimitris Vetsikas, Pixabay

✝️

1. Look for the Father
Who dwells deep within,
Stirring our hearts
To repent of our sin.

2. Seek the Messiah
Who comes from above,
Sharing our anguish,
Outpouring his love.

3. Search for the Spirit
Who falls from on high,
Comforting everyone,
Hearing each sigh.

4. Turn to the Godhead
Who lives in us all –
Ask his forgiveness,
And welcome his call.

✝️

References

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

Repent of your sins (Matthew 4:17; NLT).

2. I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me (John 6:38; NLT).

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

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

3. The Holy Spirit fell upon them (Acts 11:15; NKJV).

He will give you another Comforter, that he may be with you for ever (John 14:16; DBY).

Don’t you realise that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16; NLT).

4. Turn to God (Matthew 4:17; NLT).

In him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead (Colossians 2:9; ASV).

We will come and make our home with each of them (John 14:23; NLT).

Perhaps even yet they will turn from their evil ways and ask the Lord’s forgiveness before it is too late (Jeremiah 36:7; NLT).

He calls people (Romans 9:12; NLT).

God alone (with thanks to A.K.)

Ruth Kirk

Image: falco, Pixabay

🤎

Be sure that your faith is in God alone
(James 1:6; NLT).

1. God, alone,
Turns anguish into joy.

2. God, alone,
Turns darkness into light.

3. God, alone,
Turns hatred into love.

4. God, alone,
Turns blindness into sight.

5. God, alone,
Turns sickness into health.

6. God, alone,
Turns weakness into might.

7. God, alone,
Turns exile into home.

8. God, alone,
Turns dying into life.

🤎

References

1. It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labour. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby into the world (John 16:21; NLT).

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

3. Love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you (Luke 6:27; NLT)

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

5. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases (Psalm 103:3; NLT).

6. To keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh. […] Three times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me […] for when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:7-10; NLT).

7. Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them” (John 14:23; NLT).

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

Once, you were here

Ruth Kirk

Image: bluebudgie, Pixabay

💙

1. Once, you were here,
In the manger:
New-born, Lord,
And brimming with light.

2. Once, you were here,
In the garden:
Anguished and grieving,
At night.

3. Once you were here,
On the cross, Lord:
In sorrow and pain,
All alone.

4. But now you are here
In my spirit:
My Shepherd, my Saviour,
My Own.

💙

References

1. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them (Luke 2:6-7; 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. They went to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and Jesus said, “Sit here while I go and pray.” He took Peter, James and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed. He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death” (Mark 14:32-4; NLT).

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

3. They brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha […] Then the soldiers nailed him to the cross (Mark 15:22,24; NLT).

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? (Mark 15:34; NLT).

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

I am the good shepherd (John 10:14; NLT).

The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world (1 John 4:14; NLT).

My beloved is mine and I am his (Song of Songs 2:16; NIV).

My offering

Ruth Kirk

Image: PictureHunter404, Pixabay

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

🖤

1. Silence
Is my gift of gold,

2. And stillness,
All I can confer;

3. Solitude,
My frankincense,

4. And darkness, Lord,
My precious myrrh.

5. Sorrow
Is my heavy cross,

6. And suffering,
My sacred call;

7. Anguish,
My anointing oil,

8. And dying, Lord,
My bitter gall.

🖤

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
(Psalm 22:1; NLT).

🖤

References

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

1-4. They opened their treasure-chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:11; NLT).

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. Darkness is my closest friend (Psalm 88:18; NLT).

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

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).

6. If we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering (Romans 8:17; NLT).

7. In the end you will groan in anguish when disease consumes your body (Proverbs 5:11; NLT).

He has besieged and surrounded me with anguish and distress (Lamentations 3:5; NLT).

When she poured this oil on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial (Matthew 26:12; NET).

8. He has filled me with bitter herbs and given me gall to drink (Lamentations 3: 5; NIV).

The Lord gives both death and life (1 Samuel 2:6; NLT).

Jesus doesn’t ask me

Ruth Kirk

Image: Hans Braxmeier, Pixabay

We do not have a high priest who is unable to empathise with our weaknesses,
but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are –
yet he did not sin (Hebrews 4:15; NIV). 

1. Jesus doesn’t ask me
To go anywhere he hasn’t been,
Or to walk his narrow path alone.

2. Jesus doesn’t ask me
To face anything he hasn’t feared,
Or to cope with anguish on my own.

3. Jesus doesn’t ask me
To bear anything he hasn’t borne,
Or to suffer pain without his care.

4. Jesus doesn’t ask me
To love anyone he doesn’t love:
Instead, he waits to take my hand, and share.

 

References

1. Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness (Matthew 4:1; NLT).

I am with you always (Matthew 28:20; NLT).

2. He became anguished and distressed. He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death” (Matthew 26:37-8; NLT).

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

3. When they came to the place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross (Luke 23:33; NLT).

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

4. Love your enemies (Matthew 5:44; NIV).

Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing (Luke 23:34; NLT).

May I share

Ruth Kirk

Image: Tumisu, Pixabay

1. Father,
In my anguish,
May I share the mind of Christ.

2. Father,
In my torment,
May I share his flesh and blood.

3. Father,
In my dying,
May I share his sacrifice.

4. Father,
In my rising,
May I share his perfect love.

 

References

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

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

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).

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

2. My heart is troubled and restless. Days of suffering torment me (Job 30:27; NLT).

He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5; RSV).

Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies (2 Corinthians 4:10; NLT).

3. Into your hands I commit my spirit (Psalm 31:5; NIV).

I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath (Psalm 146:2; NLT).

If we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering (Romans 8:17; NLT).

4. Though I fall, I will rise again (Micah 7:8; NLT).

The time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, and they will rise again (John 5:28-9; NLT).

Perfect love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear (1 John 4:18; NLT).

You shield me

Ruth Kirk
Image: jplenio, Pixabay

This short dialogue is the starting-point for today’s prayer:

Moses: Show me your glorious presence.

God: I will make all my goodness pass before you. But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live. Look, stand near me on this rock. As my glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by (Exodus 33:18-22; NLT).

1. With thick clouds, Lord, you shield me
From your glory,
While you dwell within my flesh,
To give me life.

2. With shadows, you protect me
From your brilliance,
While you dwell within my mind,
To give me light.

3. With darkness, you preserve me
From your power,
While you dwell within my heart,
To give me rest;

4. And though my anguish
Blinds me to your presence,
You dwell within my soul,
So I am blest.

References

1. Thick clouds swirl about him (Job 22:14; NIV).

God is my shield (Psalm 7:10; NLT).

There is […] one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all (Ephesians 4:5-6; NLT).

He himself gives life and breath to everything (Acts 17:25; NLT).

2. He has hidden me in the shadow of his hand (Isaiah 49:2; NLT).

He […] protects those who suffer (Job:11; NLT).

His face was like the sun in all its brilliance (Revelation 1:16; NLT).

The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness (Psalm 18:28; NLT).

3. He shrouded himself in darkness (2 Samuel 22:12; NLT).

The Lord preserves the simple (Psalm 116:6; RSV).

All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his (Jude 1:25; NLT).

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

4. How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? (Psalm 13:2; NLT).

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? (Psalm 22:1; NLT).

My eyes are blinded by my tears (Psalm 88:9; NLT).

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

God blesses those who are poor in spirit, and realise their need for him (Matthew 5:3; NLT).

God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation (James 1:12; NLT).

Darkness (#2 of 2 linked prayers)

Ruth Kirk
Image: wallpapertag, Yandex

If we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering
(Romans 8:17; NLT).

1. I share my darkness, Lord, with you,
The One who guides me on my way.

2. I share my emptiness with you,
The One who weeps with me today.

3. I share my anguish, Lord, with you,
The One who never leaves my side.

4. I share my loss of hope with you,
The One who suffered, bled, and died.

References

1. You have taken away my companions and my loved ones. Darkness is my closest friend (Psalm 88:18; NLT).

By this time it was about noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock (Luke 23:44; NLT).

He guides me along the right paths (Psalm 23:3; NIV).

2. I am allotted months of emptiness, and nights of misery are apportioned to me (Job 7:3; ESV).

During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death (Hebrews 5:7; NIV).

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

3. How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? (Psalm 13:2; NLT).

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

Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me (Psalm 23:4; NLT).

4. Our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off (Ezekiel 37:11; ESV).

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? (Psalm 22:1; NLT).

Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates to make his people holy by means of his own blood (Hebrews 13:12; NLT).

You understand

Ruth Kirk
With thanks to Walter Rane

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

1. You understand our struggles
And misfortunes;
You understand our failures,
And our fears.

2. You understand our losses
And afflictions;
You understand our anguish,
And our tears.

3. You understand our secrets
And temptations;
You understand our lives –
Each bitter pill.

4. You understand the tests
We must endure, Lord,
For you have shared them all –
And share them still.

References

1. He made their hearts, so he understands everything they do (Psalm 33:15; NLT).

The Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought (1 Chronicles 28:9; NIV).

2. When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died” […] Then Jesus wept. The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!” (John 11:32,35-6; NLT).

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

3. He knows the secrets of every heart (Psalm 44:21; NLT).

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil (Luke 4:1-2; NIV).

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).

They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink (Psalm 69:21; NKJV).

4. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all the same testings we do (Hebrews 4:15; NLT).

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

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

Anguish (written for M)

Ruth Kirk


How long must I struggle within my soul,
with sorrow in my heart every day?
(Psalm 13:2; NLT).

1. Son of God,
We cry to you,
For life is very bleak.

2. Have pity on us, Lord,
For we’re in anguish,
Sick, and weak.

3. Touch us,
And forgive our sins,
For we belong to you,

4. And help us
To forgive all those
Who sin against us, too.

5. Heal us, Lord, in body,
And in mind, and heart,
And soul,

6. For you, Lord, are the only one
Whose touch
Can make us whole.

References

1. I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed (Psalm 61:2; NLT).

My spirit is crushed, and my life is nearly snuffed out (Job 17:1; NLT).

2. Jesus, Master, have pity on us (Luke 17:13; NIV).

Lord, see my anguish! (Lamentations 1:20; NLT).

Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak. Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony (Psalm 6:2; NLT).

3. Jesus touched the sick man and healed him (Luke 14:4; NLT).

Forgive us our sins (Matthew 6:12; NLT).

Whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord (Romans 14:8; NLT).

4. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven (Luke 6:37; NLT).

5. He forgives all my sins, and heals all my diseases (Psalm 103:3-4; NLT).

He restores my soul (Psalm 23:3; NKJV).

6. Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” Instantly the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed (Mark 1:41-2; NLT).