This prayer began to arrive last Tuesday, during a physiotherapy session. I had to remember it whilst having treatment on my back, neck and knees until I could jot it down afterwards. Fortunately, the following day gave me time to work on it.
“I myself will be a wall of fire around it,” declares the LORD, “and I will be its glory within” (Zechariah 2:5; NIV).
All around me, and within,
Free from blame, Lord, and from sin,
You are with me, come what may:
I’ll listen for your voice today.
Deep within me, and without,
Free from dread, Lord, and from doubt,
You are with me, come what may:
I’ll hear you gladly, and obey.
So, before me, and beside,
You instruct me, Lord, and guide,
Always with me, come what may:
So I’ll give thanks, rejoice and pray.
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).
References
There is …one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all (Ephesians 4:5-6; NLT).
I am with you always (Matthew 28:20; NLT).
This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him (Matthew 17:5; NLT).
God is with those who obey him (Psalm 14:5; NLT).
He guides me along right paths (Psalm 23:3; NLT).
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).
In your relationships with one another,
have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 2:5; NIV).
Christ never snapped I told you so!
But spoke the truth in love.
He never paid back
Blow for blow, But turned the other cheek.
He never lied,
Or hated, Or made others take the blame.
He never swore,
Or held a grudge, But bore our sin and shame.
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“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”
(1 Peter 2:24; NIV).
“Don’t they know?” asks the Lord. “Are all these evildoers ignorant? They live by robbing my people, and they never pray to me”
(Psalm 14:4; GNT).
Lord,
Your light streams out
To show the way,
Yet we would rather slip and fall,
Than pray.
Your truth streams out
To help with every task,
Yet we would rather fail, alone,
Than ask.
Lord,
Your peace streams out
To end all strife,
Yet we would rather hate,
And waste this life.
Your love streams out
To heal each barren soul,
Yet we would rather kill
Than be made whole.
Lord,
Your fire streams out
To cleanse all blame,
Yet we would rather die
Than face our shame.
Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him (Ephesians 4:18; NLT).
I am not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals
(Mark 1:7; NASB).
1. You love me, Lord,
Though I’m not fit
For anything but blame;
And talk with me,
Though I’m not fit
To speak your sacred name.
2. You comfort me,
Though I’m not fit
To call on you in prayer;
And ransom me,
Though I’m not fit
To warrant all your care.
3. You treasure me,
Though I’m not fit
To be your humble slave;
And cherish me,
Though I’m not fit
To rescue from the grave.
4. You shelter me,
Though I’m not fit
To contemplate your grace;
And smile on me,
Though I’m not fit
To gaze upon your face.
I am not worthy of all the unfailing love and faithfulness you have shown to me, your servant (Genesis 32:10; NLT).
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References
1. I’m just a worm, less than human (Psalm 22:6; CEB).
We dare not mention the name of the Lord (Amos 6:10; NKJV).
2. I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord (Genesis 18:27; NKJV).
Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son (Luke 15:21; NLT).
3. I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals (Luke 3:16; NLT).
You brought me up from the grave, O Lord. You kept me from falling into the pit of death (Psalm 30:3; NLT).
Rescue him from the grave, for I have found a ransom for his life (Job 33:24; NLT).
4. 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 33:22; NKJV).
Lord, do not trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honour (Luke 7:6; NLT).
Righteousness smiles down from heaven (Psalm 85:11; NLT).
Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires
(James 1:20; NLT).
1. Anger is so dangerous:
It makes me think I should proceed
To voice my hasty judgements,
Though I crush the weakest reed.
2. Anger is so damaging:
It makes me feel I have a right
To vent my heedless blame,
Though I put out a dying light.
3. Help me, Lord, to curb my tongue,
My rash assumptions, too,
Then I’ll treat everyone with love,
And grow much more like you.
References
1. Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: you must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires (James 1:19-20; NLT).
Do not judge others, and you will not be judged (Luke 6:37; NLT).
He will not crush the weakest reed (Matthew 12:20; NLT).
2. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you (Luke 6:37; NLT).
He will not […] put out a flickering candle (Matthew 12:20, NLT).
3. If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless (James 1:26; NLT).
Fools base their thoughts on foolish assumptions (Ecclesiastes 10:13; NLT).
We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5; NIV).
Love your neighbour as yourself (Matthew 22:39; NLT).
Do everything with love (1 Corinthians 16:14; NLT).
The Lord – who is the Spirit – makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image (2 Corinthians 3:18; NLT).
Two people have hurt me badly in the last few weeks. In both cases, after some thought, I was honest with those involved, expressing my response as lovingly as I could. However, they both reacted with anger and blame. Sadly, offering to meet for reconciliation has brought no response.
Since then, I repeatedly go over all that happened, which generates a constant, painful, and exhausting sense of dread.
The crux of my anxiety is that when someone hurts me, I don’t know whether I should speak out, or say nothing. Each approach has different consequences.
What did Jesus say and do?
As always, I look for guidance in Jesus’ teaching and example. However, he taught, and displayed, both outspoken and silent ways of responding to hurt and injustice, which I find confusing.
Until his arrest, Jesus always spoke the truth in love when people criticised or insulted him. He was, in fact, very direct. His honesty made him a lot of enemies, and contributed to his death.
After his arrest, Jesus said very little, no matter what he was accused of, and how he was treated. This puzzled his captors, perhaps antagonising them even more.
Over the years, I’ve tried both approaches. What happens when I follow Christ’s example in these two, very different, ways?
A. Speaking out
When I “speak the truth in love”, it almost always backfires. The person I’ve been honest with turns on me, angrily blaming me for what I said, even though it was their own hurtful behaviour towards me that I spoke about. I then react to their hostility with my characteristic chronic dread.
B. Saying nothing
When I say nothing, I simply allow the other person to hurt me, absorbing the pain and damage, just as I did with my emotionally abusive mother. Without feedback, of course, there is a risk that they may continue to damage me. This makes me feel helpless and powerless, worsening my chronic depression.
Either way, I can easily end up feeling as if life is not worth living.
Forgiveness
Fortunately, Jesus is absolutely clear that whether we speak out or say nothing, we should always forgive those who hurt us. This applies even if they never recognise what they have done, and never say they are sorry.
Conclusion
When people hurt me, I ruminate endlessly about how I responded, and what went wrong. Whether I speak out or say nothing, the outcome is equally damaging for my mental health.
Worse still, I also feel guilty for having “caused” the other person to strike back angrily at me, and to hate me from then onwards.
So, when someone hurts me, should I speak out, or say nothing? I still don’t know the answer to this question, which has plagued me all my life. All I can do is to pray for those who hurt me, asking God to guide and heal us all.
Image: Himsan, Pixabay
References
Introduction
Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely, the one who shared my food, has turned against me (Psalm 41:9; NLT).
What did Jesus say and do?
Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps (1 Peter 2:21; NIV).
You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? (Matthew 23:33; NIV).
The leading priests kept accusing him of many crimes, and Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer them? What about all these charges they are bringing against you?” But Jesus said nothing, much to Pilate’s surprise (Mark 15:3-5; NLT).
If you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God(Matthew 5:23-4; NLT).
A. Speaking out
Speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church (Ephesians 4:15; NLT).
If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them (Luke 17:3-4; NIV.
The churning inside me never stops; days of suffering confront me (Job 30:27; NIV).
B. Saying nothing
He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth (Isaiah 53:7; NLT).
You have taken away my companions and my loved ones. Darkness is my closest friend (Psalm 88:18; NLT).
Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me (Psalm 42:7;NIV).
Why wasn’t I buried like a stillborn child, like a baby who never lives to see the light?(Job 3:16; NLT).
Forgiveness
When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there [and] Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:33-4; NIV).
When you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins (Mark 11:25; NLT).
Conclusion
Love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you (Luke 6:27-8; NLT)
The Lord of Hosts […] is wonderful in counsel and excellent in guidance (Isaiah 28:29; NKJV).
Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example,
that you should follow in his steps
(1 Peter 2:21; NIV).
1. Thank you, Lord,
For your example: Silence In response to blame.
2. Thank you, Lord,
For your example: Courage
In the face of fear.
3. Thank you, Lord,
For your example: Pardon
As you bowed to pain.
4. Thank you, Lord,
For your example:
Help me, please,
To persevere.
References
1. When the leading priests and the elders made their accusations against him, Jesus remained silent.“Don’t you hear all these charges they are bringing against you?” Pilate demanded. But Jesus made no response (Matthew 27:12-14; NLT).
2. 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).
3. When they came to the place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross [and] Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing” (Luke 23:33-4; NLT).
4. You need to persevere, so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised (Hebrews 10:36; NIV).
