Category: Grief

Say, “Yes”, to God

Ruth Kirk

Once again, today’s prayer was given this morning, very soon after I started to pray. I’m wondering if this is becoming a new way forward for my blog? All I can do is to say, “Yes”, to God each time it happens.

Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done” (Matthew 26:42; NLT).

Say, “Yes”, to God
As Jesus did,
For God, alone,
Will help you through.

Say, “Yes”, to God
As Jesus did,
For God, alone,
Will comfort you.

Say, “Yes”, to God
As Jesus did,
For God, alone,
Will save your soul.

Say, “Yes”, to God
As Jesus did,
For God, alone,
Will make you whole.

He bruises, but He binds up; He wounds, but His hands make whole (Job 5:18; NKJV).

References

Does not the Most High send both calamity and good? (Lamentations 3:38; NLT).

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

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

Bad news!

Ruth Kirk

This blog has only just come to me, and I knew I had to post it as quickly as possible. I could work on it for hours, trying to improve it, but I need to accept it just as it arrived. I continue to pray for you all. With love from Ruth xxx

Does not the Most High send both calamity and good? (Lamentations 3:38; NLT).

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

Bad news! Calamity! Disaster!
A blow. A shock. A loss.
Grief. Distress. Despair.

Unfair! Unfortunate! Unmanageable!
Distressing. Exhausting. Annoying.
A trial. A challenge. An opportunity.

God will restore my soul!
Faith. Hope. Love.
Rejoicing. Prayer. Thanks.

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:16-16; NIV).

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

References

As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved (Genesis 43:14; NIV).

Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done (Matthew 26:42; NLT).

Three things will last forever – faith, hope, and love – and the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13; NLT).

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

We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them (Romans 8:28; NLT).

Perfect beauty

Ruth Kirk

From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth (Psalm 50:2; NIV).

Perfect beauty; perfect love:
God is light from heaven above.

Perfect sunshine; perfect rain:
God is here in joy and pain.

Perfect mercy; perfect Son:
God is kind to everyone.

Perfect patience; perfect peace:
God is truth that will not cease.

Perfect healing; perfect care:
God is with us everywhere.

Perfect beauty; perfect love:
God, alone, is truly good.

God is with us (Isaiah 7:14; NLT).

Only God is truly good (Luke 18:19; NLT).

References

You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:43-8; NLT).

Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked (Luke 6:35; NLT).

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5; NIV).

Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies (Psalm 103:2-4; NLT).

Sharing

Ruth Kirk

In him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28, NIV).

Moses went into the darkness where God was (Exodus 20:21; BST).

Share God’s darkness,
Depth, and fire.

Share God’s patience,
Pain, and grief.

Share God’s pity,
Help, and care.

Share God’s mercy,
Love, and peace.

Share God’s kindness,
Joy, and light.

Share God’s way,
And truth, and life.

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6; 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).

 

When you fall

Ruth Kirk

Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion (Isaiah 40:30; NLT).

The LORD upholds all who fall (Psalm 145:14; NKJV).

Let me catch you
When you fall.
Let me catch you,
One and all:
For my heart
Is full of love,
Streaming down
From heaven above.

Let me bear you
When you rise,
Far beyond
The eastern skies:
There you’ll live
In paradise,
Where all are one
With me, the Christ.

God never meant us to experience the Retribution, but to win salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that, alive or dead, we should still live united to him (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10; JB).

References

After I have gone and prepared you a place, I shall return to take you with me (John 14:1-6; JB).

In all their distress, He too was afflicted, and the Angel of His Presence saved them. In His love and compassion He redeemed them; He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old (Isaiah 63:9; BSB).

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).

I bear you on eagles’ wings, and bring you in unto Myself (Exodus 19:4; YLT).

Those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles (Isaiah 40:31; NKJV).

Go your way until the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days, you will rise again to receive the inheritance set aside for you (Daniel 12:13; NLT).

Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely (Psalm 63:7-8; NLT).

As the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes (Matthew 24:27; NLT).

 

Healthy faith

Ruth Kirk

Be healthy in the faith (Titus 1:13; NLT).

Please give us all
A healthy faith,
So we accept
Your will with grace.

And though, like Christ,
We grieve, and pray:
“Please take this bitter cup
Away”,

Yet, help us to endure
Our load –
The gifts you place
Along our road –

For you send bad
As well as good,
To help us grow
In trust, and love.

Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong (Ephesians 3:17; NLT).

References

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).

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

Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done” (Matthew 26:42; NLT).

When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other (Ecclesiastes 7:14; NIV).

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18; NIV).

Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you (Isaiah 30:20; NLT).

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).

God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them (Romans 8:28; NLT).

I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death (Philippians 3:10; NLT).

 

What’s in store?

Ruth Kirk

No one really knows what is going to happen; no one can predict the future (Ecclesiastes 10:14; NLT).

What does our God
Have in store for us all?
Will it be happy,
Or sad?

Life is striving and gain;
Life is sickness and pain –
God sends all! God is great!
God is good!

What does our God
Have in store for us all?
Will it be blissful,
Or bad?

Life is triumph and loss;
Life is bearing our cross –
God sends all! God is kind!
God is love!

Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realise that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life (Ecclesiastes 7:14; NLT).

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). 

God is love (1 John 4:8; NLT).

References

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

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

The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord (Job 1:21; CSB).

God is great! (Psalm 70:4; NLT).

Only God is truly good (Luke 18:19; NLT).

How kind the LORD is! How good he is! So merciful, this God of ours! (Psalm 116:5; 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).

Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you (Isaiah 30:20; NLT).

Every person has been given a great deal of work to do. A heavy burden lies on all of us from the day of our birth until the day we go back to the earth, the mother of us all (Ben Sira 40:1; GNTA).

You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but you will restore me to life again (Psalm 71:20; NLT).

Whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:27; NLJV).

 

Beyond the church

Ruth Kirk

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

If you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him (Deuteronomy 4:29; NLT).

Beyond the fringes
Of the church,
I long for you, my God,
And search.

Yet, my Beloved,
You are here
In all my darkness, grief,
And fear.

I cannot glimpse
Your face today,
Or hear your voice,
Or find your way

At all; but Lord,
For help I plead:
Though I can’t see you,
I believe!

He [Jesus] said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed. Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me” (John 20:27-9; NLT).

References

She touched the fringe of his robe, for she thought, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed” (Matthew 9:20-21; NLT).

I will save the lame and gather the outcasts (Zephaniah 3:19; CSB).

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

I searched for him but could not find him anywhere. I called to him, but there was no reply (Song of Songs 5:6; NLT).

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the LORD! (Habakkuk 3:17-18; NLT).

 

Here and now

Ruth Kirk

Today’s blog is extra to my usual daily schedule. It is dedicated to all readers who are really struggling with life at present, as I am myself. This is why my posting times have been rather erratic recently. Whatever happens, I will do my very best to keep posting for you every single day. So, let’s just cling to God in the here and now of each storm. NB: I apologise for the number of references, but they are all so precious to me that I couldn’t bear to leave any of them out. I continue to pray for you all. With love from Ruth xxx

Cling tightly to the LORD your God (Joshua 23:8; NLT).

However good or bad things are,
Remember: God is with you, now.

For all that happens comes from God,
Who loves you deeply, here and now.

Accept the joys and griefs life brings:
Take refuge in our God, right now.

Love God, love others and yourself,
Just where you are, and in the now.

The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only LORD. You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these (Mark 12:29-31; NLT).

References

My Father! 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).

Cling to your faith in Christ (1 Timothy 1:19; NLT).

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

Nothing can ever separate us from God’s love (Romans 8:38; NLT).

Be sure of this: I am with you always (Matthew 28:20; NLT).

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

The life of every living thing is in his hand, and the breath of every human being (Job 12:10; NLT).

Everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen (Romans 11:36; NLT).

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

Whatever happens to you, accept it (Sirach 2:4; NJB).

Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble? (Job 2:10; NIV).

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).

The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord (Job 1:21; CSB).

I am the one who kills and gives life; I am the one who wounds and heals (Deuteronomy 32:39; NLT).

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).

Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realise that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life (Ecclesiastes 7:14; NLT).

 

Like You

Ruth Kirk

The leading priests and the teachers of religious law were still looking for an opportunity to capture Jesus secretly and kill him (Mark 14:1; NLT).

Like You,
When we’re feeling alone,
And in trouble:
We’re still one with God.

Like You,
When we’re grieving, alone,
And in anguish:
We’re still one with God.

Like You,
When we’re dying, alone,
And in torment:
We’re still one with God.

Like You,
When we rise, Lord,
In heaven, forever:
We’re still one with God!

Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:42-3; NIV).

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

References

He began to be deeply distressed and troubled (Mark 14:33; NIV).

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

Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine (Luke 22:42; NLT).

Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip. The soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they put a purple robe on him. “Hail! King of the Jews!” they mocked, as they slapped him across the face (John 19:1-3; NLT).

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

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

Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last (Luke 23:46; NIV).

The life of every living thing is in his hand, and the breath of every human being (Job 12:10; NLT).

Nothing can ever separate us from God’s love (Romans 8:38; NLT).

Be sure of this: I am with you always (Matthew 28:20; NLT).

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