Category: Ecstasy

With eyes fully open

Ruth Kirk

This prayer came to me the moment I woke and started to pray on Christmas morning. It is a special prayer for all of us who find Christmas very difficult, whatever the reason. With my warmest love, and with thanks to you all for your support, from Ruth xxx

I love you, LORD; you are my strength (Psalm 18:1; NLT).

With eyes fully open,
And eyes fully closed:
Yahweh, I love you so much!

No matter what happens
You’re here, at my side:
Jesus, I love you so much!

Speaking, or silent,
You’re here, in my soul:
Spirit, I love you so much!

And you love me too,
Though I can’t see you yet:
But soon, Lord, I’ll reach out, and touch!

Reach out your hand and put it into my side (John 20:27; NIV).

If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed (Matthew 9:21; NLT).

References

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 feet (Luke 24:39-40; NLT).

Blessed are those who believe without seeing me (John 20:29; 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).

After my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes (Job 19:26-7; NLT).

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

For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known (1 Corinthians 12:12; NIV).

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

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).

 

In love

Ruth Kirk

Today’s blog comes to you from my new room, in my new home, in my new country, for the very first time. God has been very kind to my husband and I. After many extremely stressful months, we are now starting a completely new phase of our lives. He is 81, and I am 73. Thanks be to God!

I love you, Lord (Psalm 18:1; NLT).

Jesus,
I’m in love with you –
Head over heels, Lord,
Through and through,
Drunk on your Spirit,
Wild and free –
And you, Lord,
Are in love with me!

He loves us with unfailing love (Psalm 117:2; NLT).

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

 

Coming out as face blind at church

Ruth Kirk

Today I came out as face blind at the church I left several months ago. I stopped going because I couldn’t cope with the anxiety of not being able to recognise other people, or connect their names with their details.

It went wonderfully well! I haven’t even got a migraine yet (four hours later), though that could easily happen a bit later in the day after making such a huge effort. With the Vicar’s advance permission I gave a two-minute talk just before the service started, explaining the problem, and asking people to help me. NB: Asking for help has always been an absolute no-no for me, as I expected to be refused, and to be despised, or hated, for having asked.

Everything changed for me immediately. Even during the service I had a sense of belonging which was entirely new.

After the service, several people approached me, introducing themselves with their names in the kindest and most friendly way possible. I joined in with the coffee, rather than silently sloping off back home to avoid any further risk of social contact. I even had a couple of lovely chats that didn’t depend solely on me getting other people to talk about themselves without me ever having to use their name, or know who they were. NB: This is one of my standard coping techniques in any group. I now realise that it is a combination of pretending, faking and avoidance.

When I was ready to go, I went to stand in front of the altar, then touched it whilst expressing my huge relief, joy and gratitude at having made a fresh start at church.

The moment I laid my hand on the cloth I was flooded, both inside and out, by an incredibly bright light, and was no longer aware of anything around me. It wasn’t frightening – just completely unexpected, amazing, and very beautiful.

I don’t know how long this experience lasted – perhaps about 20 seconds, or a little more. When I lifted my hand off the altar, all my perceptions went back to being normal (for me!) Then I came away from the church with fresh hope, feeling glad to be alive.

With love to you all, and my deepest thanks for all the likes and comments you leave,
From Ruth xxxx

 

Wordless sharing

Ruth Kirk

Be silent before the LORD, all humanity (Zechariah 2:13; NLT).

In silence,
Lift your hands to God,
And let the Spirit pray
On your behalf.

In stillness,
Lift your mind to God,
And let the Spirit pray
On your behalf.

In gladness,
Lift your heart to God,
And let the Spirit pray
On your behalf.

In darkness,
Lift your soul to God,
And let the Spirit pray
On your behalf.

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 8:27-8; AMP).

References

Lift up holy hands in prayer, and praise the LORD (Psalm 134:2; NLT).

Listen to my prayer for mercy as I cry out to you for help, as I lift my hands toward your holy sanctuary (Psalm 28:2; NLT).

 

Highs and lows

Ruth Kirk

My heart is full of rapture (Psalm 28:7; BBE).

He became anguished and distressed (Matthew 26; 37; NLT).

Rapture is the opposite
Of trauma,
And anguish is the opposite
Of peace.

Lord, these are the highs
And lows of living –
Realities we can’t stop,
Or increase.

They’re part of being born,
Of life, and death,
From our first cry,
To our concluding breath.

Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last (Luke 23:46; NLT).

Examples of rapture and anguish in Jesus’ life:

One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy” (Luke 3:21-22; NIV).

At that same time Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit (Luke 10:21; NLT).

He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light (Matthew 17:2; NIV).

“Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine” (Mark 14:36; NLT).

He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood (Luke 22:44; NLT).

Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him (Matthew 26:50; NIV).

Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip (John 19:1; NLT).

The soldiers nailed him to the cross (Matthew 27:35; NLT).

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help? (Psalm 22:1; NLT).

 

Continual spontaneous prayer

Ruth Kirk

Pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:16; NIV).

Continual spontaneous prayer is a way of life. It means opening our whole selves to God at every moment, sharing every thought, sensation, emotion and experience with God as it happens.

In this approach to prayer, we hide nothing whatsoever from God. We may be tempted to push unwanted thoughts or impulses aside, but instead, we choose to acknowledge them openly and willingly. Then we deal with them straightforwardly, directly with God.

This way of praying is constant, dynamic, and totally honest. It has no beginning, middle, or end. Rather, it is a long-term, two-way conversation with God.

A life of continuous prayer means spontaneously expressing our love, worship, praise, thanks, intercessions, rejoicing, sorrows, fears, and cries for help. We share them with God as they arise within us.

It also includes unplanned periods when our prayer continues, but no words are needed. This wordless communion, when we simply rest in oneness with God, is one of the most intimate kinds of prayer we can experience here, on earth.

Above all, a life of continual, spontaneous prayer means being completely real with God, who is always completely real with us. This is the kind of relationship God longs to have with every one of us.

The Lord longs to be gracious to you (Isaiah 30:18; NIV). 

You desire honesty from the womb (Psalm 51:6; NLT).

References

The LORD must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion (Isaiah 30:18; NLT).

By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him (Hebrews 10:20; NLT).

We are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people” (2 Corinthians 6:16; NIV).

Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence (Ephesians 3:12; NLT).

I am God, and not man; the Holy One within thee (Hosea 11:9; BST).

We are united with Christ (Ephesians 1:3; NLT).

The person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him (1 Corinthians 6:17; NLT).

 

Brilliance

Ruth Kirk

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).

Brilliance, then darkness, Lord,
Time after time;
But you are my Maker,
So all will be well.

Rapture, then anguish, Lord,
Time and again;
But, Yahweh, you love me,
So all will be well.

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).

Reference

“All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well” (Julian of Norwich, 14th century mystic and theologian).

How beautiful! (for L.S.)

Ruth Kirk

Let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us (Psalm 90:17; NKJV).

How beautiful you are, my God!
How bright!
I am transfixed –
Surrounded by your light.

No need to think, or speak, or pray,
Or bow!
I am suffused with you, Lord –
Here and now.

My God, what sovereign power
You outpour!
I am completely overwhelmed –
By awe.

Now you transport my soul
To heaven above!
United with you, I’m lost, and found –
In love.

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

References

From Mount Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines in glorious radiance (Psalm 50:2; NLT).

Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness (Psalm 29:2; NKJV).

You died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3; NLT).

Agony and ecstasy

Ruth Kirk

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

Your agony is what we share, Lord Jesus,
When we’re overwhelmed:
There’s only so much grief and pain
Our mortal bodies can sustain.

Your ecstasy is what we share, Lord Jesus,
When joy overflows:
There’s only so much purest gold
Our blest immortal souls can hold.

At that same time Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit (Luke 10:21; NLT).

Come and share your master’s joy! (Matthew 25:21; ISV).

References

He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have (Romans 8:3; NLT).

He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood (Luke 22:44; NLT).

Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me” (Matthew 26:38; NIV).

[An alternative translation] He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me” (Matthew 26:38; NLT).

Then Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip (John 19:1; NLT).

Then the soldiers nailed him to the cross (Mark 15:24; NLT).

He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own (Philippians 3:21; NLT).

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

We have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16; NIV).

Worship the LORD in all his holy splendor (1 Chronicles 16:29; NLT).

Those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God” (Matthew 14:33; NIV).

It came to pass when I had returned to Jerusalem, and as I was praying in the temple, that I became in ecstasy (Acts 22:17; DBT).

I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness – secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name (Isaiah 45:3; NLT).

My gifts are better than gold, even the purest gold (Proverbs 8:19; NLT).

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

Ecstasy

Ruth Kirk

Hello everyone, well, after an exhausting day, I arrived at my care home yesterday evening.

Then she was in ecstasy (2 Chronicles 9:4; BES).

Lord,

Ecstasy is always
Just a breath away;
A closing of the eyes
And of the hands away;

A turning straight to you, Lord God,
In love away;
An opening of mind and heart
And soul away.

For you are always here
At every moment;
Always here within,
And here in love.

Yes, here, with us
No matter where we are, Lord,
And we are one with you,
In heaven above.

I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me (Psalm 139:7-10; NLT).

References

It came to pass when I had returned to Jerusalem, and as I was praying in the temple, that I became in ecstasy (Acts 22:17; DBY).

Turn to God (Matthew 3:2; NLT).

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).

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

Surely the LORD is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it! (Genesis 28:16; NLT).