I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship (Romans 12:1; NIV).
My body is my sacrifice,
My willing spirit, too;
My mind and heart; my humble soul:
I lift them up to you.
I offer only pain, fatigue,
Depression, dread, despair;
Yet, when I plead for others, Lord,
You always hear my prayer.
Although I’m your unworthy slave,
With nothing else to give,
I know that you will ransom me
One day: then I will live!
I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death (Hosea 13:14; KJV).
References
Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak (Mark 14:38; NLT).
I lift up my hands and heart toward Your innermost sanctuary (Psalm 28:2; AMP).
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 love the LORD because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy (Psalm 116:1; NLT).
We are unworthy slaves (Luke 17:10; NASB1995).
Those who wait for the LORD [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] will gain new strength and renew their power; they will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun]; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not grow tired (Isaiah 40:31; AMP).
While I was lying in my bed, this is what I dreamed (Daniel 4:10; NLT).
Lord God,
I dream of failure every night;
Of suffering, depression,
Shame, and dread.
Before, I might have
Begged you, Lord,
To take these dreams away,
But now,
I choose to welcome them,
Instead.
So, I will face these dreams, And when I wake, I’ll pray for all those
Living with defeat:
Draw near, Lord God,
Please cleanse and soothe Our wounds with oil and wine. May all who fail
Be healed, And made complete.
Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oilandwineand bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him (Luke 10:34; NLT).
May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be madecomplete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God (Ephesians 3:19; NLT).
References
All things come from God (1 Corinthians 11:12; CSB).
Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad? (Job 2:10; NLT).
Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment]. (Hebrews 4:16; AMP).
He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds (Psalm 147:3; NLT).
Happy Easter to you all! With love from Ruth xxxxxxx
They will mock him, spit on him, flog him with a whip, and kill him, but after three days he willriseagain (Mark 10:34; NLT).
Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do. As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet… They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he ate it as they watched (Luke 24:39-43; NLT).
Lord,
Easter is when you Are born again,
Free from all your anguish,
Dread, and pain;
Free to help Your followers anew:
Jesus, may we love and serve,
Like you.
TheSonofMancame not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45; NLT).
As we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world (1 John 4:17; NLT).
References
I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God (John 3:3; NLT).
You exposed yourself to death itself, and allowed yourself to be counted among criminals, while you bore the guilt of many and interceded for sinners (Isaiah 53:12; TIB).
The Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17; NLT).
I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever (John 14:16; ESV).
It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you (John 16:7; ESV).
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).
I was thrust into your arms at my birth. You have been my God from the moment I was born (Psalm 22:10; NLT).
May sickness drive me
Straight into your arms,
And sorrow, draw me
Nearer to your care.
May dread, Lord, bring me
Closer to your heart,
And anguish, always lead me
Into prayer.
Being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground (Luke 22:44; NIV).
The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you (Deuteronomy 33:27; NLT).
References
He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9; BLB).
He said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” (Matthew 26:38; NIV).
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).
Pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17; NIV).
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).
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18; NIV).
Lord,
My situation is unstable.
May I accept this gladly,
Giving thanks.
I’m facing the unknown Without a route-map,
But want to greet my future
Without dread.
You are my Good Shepherd,
And my Teacher;
My way, my truth, my life,
My guide, my peace.
So, Lord, I don’t ask
For this uncertainty to end:
I simply put my trust in you,
Instead.
My future is in your hands (Psalm 31:15; NLT).
Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me (John 14:1; NLT).
References
No one really knows what is going to happen; no one can predict the future (Ecclesiastes 10:14; NLT).
Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish (Isaiah 46:10; NLT).
I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29: 1; NLT).
We believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us (Romans 8:23; NLT).
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future (Ephesians 4:4; NLT).
If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the LORD and rely on your God (Isaiah 50:10; NLT).
Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unlessIdrinkit, your will be done” (Matthew 26:42; NLT).
I trust in you, LORD; I say, “You are my God.”
(Psalm 31:14; NIV).
Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit:
Lord, I trust in you.
Three in One, and One in Three:
I know you’ll bring me through.
Give me courage, Lord, to face
My fear, my darkest vale:
With you beside me, Elohim,
I know I will not fail.
Give me courage, now, to face My dread, my hour of need:
For though I’m weak, Lord, you are strong –
With you, I will succeed.
My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever (Psalm 73:26; NLT).
In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall.
(2 Samuel 22:30; NLT).
References
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).
He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore I would rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me (2 Corinthians 12:9; LB).
This prayer arose spontaneously out of my silence yesterday, resolving my long-standing fear of having to meet my mother again one day, in heaven.
My mother is a part of me,
And I, Lord, am a part of her.
Despite the suffering she caused,
Our primal linkage will endure.
Lord, I’ve forgiven her abuse –
Through prayer, I’ve let it go, at last.
I understand her suffering,
Her rage, her devastating past.
I used to dread that I would have
To meet her when my race is run.
But now I know she cannot hurt me
Any more, for we’ll be one
In you, the God who heals us all.
No harm will come to me, just good,
For when you take me in your arms,
I’ll meet my mother in your love.
God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. (1 John 4:16; NLT).
References
None will harm or destroy another on My entire holy mountain, for the land will be as full of the knowledge of the LORD as the sea is filled with water (Isaiah 11:9; HCSB).
Nothing harmful will take place on the LORD’s holy mountain. Just as water fills the sea, the land will be filled with people who know and honor the LORD (Isaiah 11:9; CEV).
They will no longer injure or destroy on my entire royal mountain. For there will be universal submission to the LORD’s sovereignty, just as the waters completely cover the sea (Isaiah 11:9; NET).
The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox (Isaiah 65:25; NIV).
In those days no one will be hurt or destroyed on my holy mountain. I, the LORD, have spoken! (Isaiah 65:25; NLT).
The LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations (Psalm 100:5; NIV).
Thedustreturns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7; NIV).
Yesterday morning, as I greeted my icons one by one, the first words of this prayer came directly into my mind. These verses attempt to describe experiencing the presence of Christ during wordless prayer: in life, whilst dying, and in paradise. We can dip in and out of this experience until we die, but after death it will be all we know, and all we want to know.
Be silent before the LORD, all humanity.
(Zechariah 2:13; NLT).
Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.
(Exodus 20:21; NLT).
1. Golden darkness deep within,
Far from stress, and shame and sin:
Lost in worship, bliss and peace
We rest, in life, with Christ, our Priest.
2. Golden splendour all about, Letting go of dread and doubt:
Lost in rapture, joy and love
We walk, with Christ, to heaven above.
3. Golden glory all around, Free from pain, with mercy crowned:
Lost in ecstasy, we soar
To join with Christ, for evermore.
Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever (1 Thessalonians 4:17; NLT).
References
1: Life
I will give you the treasures of darkness and riches from secret places so that you may know that I am the Lord (Isaiah 45:3; CSB).
We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves (2 Corinthians 4:7; NLT).
Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:28-9; NLT).
We have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God (Hebrews 4:14; NLT).
2: Dying
Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them (Luke 2:9; NLT).
Worship the LORD in all his holy splendor (1 Chronicles 16:29; NLT).
Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings (Hebrews 10:22; NIV).
Jesus’ appearance was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white, far whiter than any earthly bleach could ever make them (Mark 9:2-3; NLT).
Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God still, and trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father’s house; if there were not, I should have told you. I am going now to prepare a place for you, and after I have gone and prepared you a place, I shall return to take you with me; so that where I am you may be too” (John 14:1-3; JB).
ThoughIwalk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me (Psalm 23:4; KJV).
The dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7; NIV).
3: Beyond death
The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God (Hebrews 1:3; NLT).
He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies (Psalm 103:4; NLT).
Those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31; NLT).
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).
