Category: Father

Turn to God

Ruth Kirk

Image: Geeshan Edirisinghe, Pixabay

🍁

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

1. Father,
May I turn to you
When I am feeling low.

2. Jesus,
May I turn to you
As I receive each blow.

3. Spirit,
May I turn to you
In sorrow, fear, and pain.

4. So, Lord,
May I turn to you –
Again, again, again.

Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them
(Isaiah 55:7; NIV).

🍁

References

1. When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey his voice (for the Lord your God is a merciful God), he will not forsake you (Deuteronomy 4:30-31; NKJV).

2. They spit on him and took the staff and struck him on the head with it again and again (Matthew 27:30; NLT).

He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman Soldiers to be crucified (Mark 15:15; NLT).

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).

3. They will turn to the Lord and he will respond to their pleas and heal them (Isaiah 19:22; NIV).

4. Turn me again to you and restore me, for you alone are the Lord my God (Jeremiah 31:18; NLT).

Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again (Revelation 3:3; NLT).

Suffused with prayer

Ruth Kirk

Image: Ruth Kirk

💛

1. Suffused with prayer,
My little cross –
I hold it tight
In joy, and loss.

2. Lord, may I
Be just the same –
Safe in your hands,
Breathing your name.

3. No matter what you send,
I’ll praise
And thank you, Father,
All my days.

4. So, I worship,
And adore –
One with you,
For evermore.

💛

References

1. Pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17; NIV).

Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:27; RSV).

Love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him (Deuteronomy 30:20; NIV).

Rejoice always (1 Thessalonians 5:16; NIV).

Should we accept only good things from the hand of God, and never anything bad? (Job 2:10; NLT).

2. I am in your hands – do with me as you think best (Jeremiah 26:14; NLT).

You are my Father (Psalm 89:26; NLT).

Because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father” Galatians 4:6; NLT).

3. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord! (Job 1:21; NLT).

With every bone in my body I will praise him (Psalm 35:10; NLT).

Give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18; NIV).

4. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind (1 Chronicles 28:9; NLT).

We adore you as the one who is over all things (1 Chronicles 29:11; NLT).

Whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17; NIV).

I long for you

Ruth Kirk

Image: falco, Pixabay

🖤

“Listen,” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die”
(Matthew 20:18; NLT).

1. I long for you
As evening falls,
And dusk turns into night.

Father,
Must I drink this cup?
It’s too late now for flight.

2. I yearn for you
When morning comes.
I want to do your will.

Lord,
I am lost: betrayed; condemned –
And yet I trust you still.

3. My strength is gone
And death draws near.
I cannot bear this pain.

Father,
Come to rescue me,
Then I’ll rejoice again.

4. I thirst for you.
My courage fails –
Destroyed by sin and shame.

Lord,

Why have you forsaken me,
Though I cry out your name?

🖤

References

1. As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God (Psalm 42:1; NLT).

Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death” (Matthew 26:36-8; NLT).

My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen on me. Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me (Psalm 55:4-5; NIV).

He went on a little further and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me…

2. …Yet I want your will to be done, not mine” (Matthew 26:39; NLT).

I yearn for the Lord, more than watchmen do for the morning (Psalm 130:6; NET).

The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal: You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss. Then you can take him away under guard (Mark 14:44; NLT).

So Pilate sentenced Jesus to die as they demanded (Luke 23:24; NLT).

Don’t you realise that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? (Matthew 26:53; NLT).

3. My life is poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, melting within me. My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth (Psalm 22:14-15; NLT).

The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name” (Psalm 91:14; NLT).

4. Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfil the scripture),“I thirst” (John 19:28; RSV).

It was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down (Isaiah 53:4; NLT).

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? (Psalm 22:1; NIV).

Trust in God (#1 of 2 linked poems)

Ruth Kirk

Image: Jaroslav Pitonák, Pixabay

🌺

1. Trust in God.
His will is perfect,
And his timing
Consummate.

2. Trust in God.
His love is perfect:
Father, Shepherd,
Advocate.

3. Trust in God.
His way is perfect;
All his promises
Are true.

4. Trust in God.
His peace is perfect;
He will help
And comfort you.

Your Father in heaven is perfect
(Matthew 5:48; NLT).

🌺

References

1. Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect (Romans 12:2; NLT).

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners (Romans 5:6; NLT).

2. Perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love (1 John 4:18; NLT).

Because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father” (Galatians 4:6; NLT).

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (Psalm 23:1; KJV).

He is my advocate (1 Samuel 24:15; NLT).

3. God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true (2 Samuel 22:31; NLT).

4. You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you (Isaiah 26:3; NLT).

He helps me (Psalm 28:7; NLT).

Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me (Psalm 23:4; KJV).

I’m sorry

Ruth Kirk

Image: cocoparisienne, Pixabay

✙

My life is spent with sorrow and my years with sighing; my strength has failed because of my guilt, and my body has wasted away (Psalm 31:10; NASB20).

1. I’m sorry that I’m nothing, Lord.
I’m sorry I’m so weak.

2. I’m sorry I can’t serve you, Lord,
And sorry I’m so bleak.

3. I’m sorry I’ve got nothing, Lord,
To show for all my years.

4. I’m sorry that I’ve wasted all my life
On sin, and tears.

5. I can only cling to you, Lord,
As I face each test.

6. I can only try to pray, Lord,
And to do my best.

7. I can only cry to you, Lord:
Father, lift me up!

8. I can only trust in you,
And drink each bitter cup.

✙

References

1. I am nothing but dust and ashes (Genesis 18:27; NIV).

Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak (Psalm 6:2; NLT).

2. You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him (Luke 4:8; NLT).

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

3. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth (Matthew 25:25; NLT).

Is not all human life a struggle? Our lives are like that of a hired hand, like a worker who longs for the shade, like a servant waiting to be paid. I, too, have been assigned months of futility, long and weary nights of misery (Job 7:1-3; NASB20).

4. I was born a sinner – yes, from the moment my mother conceived me (Psalm 51:5; NLT).

You have fed us with sorrow and made us drink tears by the bucketful (Psalm 80:5; NLT).

I have cried until the tears no longer come; my heart is broken. My spirit is poured out in agony (Lamentations 2:11; NLT).

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

5. I cling to you (Psalm 63:8; NLT).

You examine us every morning and test us every moment (Job 7:18; NLT).

6. Pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17; NIV).

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15; NIV).

7. O Lord, I am calling to you. Please hurry! Listen when I cry for your help! (Psalm 141:1; NLT).

You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but you will restore me to life again and lift me up from the depths of the earth (Psalm 71:20; NLT).

8. Trust in God and trust also in me (John 14:1; NLT).

He has […] given me a bitter cup of sorrow to drink (Lamentations 3:15; NLT).

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).

Hold me fast

Ruth Kirk

Image: Zac Durant, Unsplash

🖤

Your right hand will hold me fast
(Psalm 139:10; NIV).

1. Hold me fast
When I forget you.

2. Hold me, Father,
When I stray.

3. Hold me close
When I am weary.

4. Hold me
When I cannot pray.

5. Hold me safe
When I’m in danger.

6. Hold me, Father,
When I cry.

7. Hold me tight
When I’m in pain,

8. And hold me, Lord,
When I must die.

🖤

References

1. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle by the farthest sea, even there your hand will guide me; your right hand will hold me fast (Psalm 139:9-10; BSB).

2. I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands (Psalm 119:176; NIV).

3. The Lord will hold me close (Psalm 27:10; NLT).

4. I hold you by your right hand – I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, “Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you” (Isaiah 41:13; NLT).

We do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words (Romans 8:26; RSV).

5. You hold me safe beyond the reach of my enemies (Psalm 18:48; NLT).

6. Hear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry come to you (Psalm 102:1; ESV).

7. I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely (Psalm 63:8; NLT).

I am suffering and in pain (Psalm 69:29; NLT).

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

8. All of us must die eventually (2 Samuel 14:14; NLT).

Our God is a God who saves! The Sovereign Lord rescues us from death (Psalm 68:20; NLT).

At peace (for A. and R.)

Ruth Kirk

Image: Mary Berg, Pixabay

💛

To […] accept your lot in life –
this is indeed a gift from God
(Ecclesiastes 5:19; NLT).

Lord,

1. May I be at peace with life,
And even with myself.

2. May I be at peace with sorrow,
Fear, and loss of health.

3. May I be at peace with others,
Seeing you in everyone;

4. And may I be at peace with you –
Dear Father, Spirit, much-loved Son.

💛

References

1. Love your neighbour as yourself (Luke 10:27; NLT).

2. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised  (Job 1:21; NIV).

3. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone (Romans 12:18; NIV).

4. Submit to God and be at peace with him (Job 22:21; NIV).

Make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him (2 Peter 3:14; NIV).

The dream of angels

Ruth Kirk

Image: István Nemes, Pixabay

❤️

1. God is not the dream of angels,
Nor a vision,
Nor a creed.

2. God is not just wishful thinking,
Nor a longing,
Nor a need.

3. God is neither male nor female,
Storm, nor earthquake,
Fire, nor flood.

4. God is Father, Son, and Spirit,
One forever —
God is Love.

❤️

References

1. This is […] the message of the man whose eyes see clearly, the message of one who hears the words of God [and] sees a vision of the Almighty (Numbers 24:3-4; NLT).

2. I yearn for the Lord, more than watchmen do for the morning (Psalm 130:6; NET).

3. He is not a human being (1 Samuel 15:29; NIV).

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28; NKJV).

The Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire (1 Kings 19:11-12; NLT).

I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing (Genesis 6:17; NLT).

4. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19; NIV).

The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! (Deuteronomy 6:4; NASB).

God is love (1 John 4:16; NLT).

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).

Your will

Ruth Kirk

Image: Tim Hüfner, Unsplash

❤️

I desire to do your will, my God (Psalm 40:8; NLT).

1. Father,
Please remove from me
All foolish pride and vanity;
All judging of my fellows, Lord:

Your will, my mind –
In full accord.

2. Father,
Please remove from me
All selfishness and jealousy;
All quarrelling, and hatred, Lord:

Your will, my heart –
In true accord.

3. Father,
Please remove from me
All arrogance and gluttony;
All callousness, and slander, Lord:

Your will, my soul –
In one accord.

❤️

References

1. I will not endure conceit and pride (Psalm 101:5; NLT).

Do not judge others, and you will not be judged (Luke 6:37; NLT).

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

2. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarrelling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties and other sins like these (Galatians 5:19-21; NLT).

He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love (Romans 5:5; NLT).

I will give them one heart and one purpose: to worship me forever (Jeremiah 32:39; NLT).

3. From within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you (Mark 7:21-22; NLT).

I hate pride and arrogance (Proverbs 8:13; NLT).

I will not tolerate people who slander their neighbours (Psalm 101:5; NLT).

He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him (1 Corinthians 6:17; NKJV).