Category: Grief

No time to pray?

Ruth Kirk

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

Pray about everything (Philippians 4:6; NLT).

No time to pray?
Just share each thought
With God.

No time to praise?
Just share your joy
With God.

No time to grieve?
Just share your pain
With God.

No time to serve?
Just share your life
With God.

All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God (1 John 4:15; NLT).

References

We know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them (1 John 4:16; NIV).

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).

 

Christ within

Ruth Kirk

Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us (Colossians 3:11; NLT).

Christ in my body,
And Christ in my thinking;
Christ in my speaking,
And Christ in my soul;

Christ in my actions,
And Christ in my gladness;
Christ in my sorrows:
My pattern, my goal;

Christ in my living,
And Christ in my dying:
This is my pathway
To being made whole.

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

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

 

Prayer

Ruth Kirk

What can we bring to the Lord? (Micah 6:6; NLT).

To pray
Is to bring every terror,
And face it with God.

To pray
Is to bring every sorrow,
And grieve it with God.

To pray
Is to bring every sickness,
And share it with God.

To pray
Is to bring every burden,
And bear it with God.

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

Day after day he bears our burdens (Psalm 68:19; CSB).

References

Pray about everything (Philippians 4:6; NLT).

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

 

Cling to Christ

Ruth Kirk

Darkness is my closest friend (Psalm 88:18; NLT).

When your life
Is full of care,
Far beyond
What you can bear –

When your days
Are full of pain,
As your heart
Breaks, yet again –

When your nights
Are drenched with tears,
And your mind
Is wracked by fears –

Cling to Christ:
Your soul will soar,
Till nothing matters
Any more.

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).

References

Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us (Colossians 3:11; NLT).

Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28; NLT).

 

Emptiness (for R.M.)

Ruth Kirk

This is an extra prayer, given to me earlier this morning for reader R.M.

The LORD is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him (Habakkuk 2:20; NLT).

Emptiness,
And loss of prayer:
Rest in silence
Everywhere.
God shares all you think
And feel;
Knows your grief;
Hears each appeal.

So, in darkness,
Dread, and tears,
Whisper your distress
And fears,
Sharing all you feel
With him –
Blindly follow;
Simply cling.

Then, in stillness,
All alone,
Though your heart
Seems turned to stone:
Open up your soul
To God,
Trusting in
His staff and rod.

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).

References

Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word (Luke 1:38; KJV).

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. Stay here and keep watch with me” (Matthew 26:37-8; NLT).

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

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).

Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light (Micah 7:8; NLT).

 

Light my darkness (for R.M.)

Ruth Kirk

He makes darkness His secret place (Psalm 18:11; LSV).

Jesus,
Light my darkness;

Yahweh,
Take my hand;

Spirit,
Fill my emptiness:

Make me
Your Promised Land.

We are the temple of the living God (2 Corinthians 6:16; NLT).

References

Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word (Luke 1:38; KJV).

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. Stay here and keep watch with me” (Matthew 26:37-8; NLT).

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).

Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light (Micah 7:8; NLT).

 

Join with Christ

Ruth Kirk

This has been given to you on behalf of Christ, not only so that you may believe in him, but even so that you may suffer with him (Philippians 1:29; CPDV).

I join my pain
To yours, Lord Christ,
And offer it
In sacrifice

For all who suffer,
Grieve, and fear.
Please comfort them,
And keep them near.

Help all of them
To turn to you,
Then find new life
With you, Lord, too.

Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone (Romans 5:18; NLT).

 

An ocean of love

Ruth Kirk

Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths. You care for people and animals alike, O LORD (Psalm 36:6; NLT).

God is an ocean of love,
And of peace, and of truth.

God is an ocean of joy,
And of loss, and of pain.

God is an ocean of grief,
And of tears, and of night.

God is an ocean of birth,
And of death, and of light.

All your waves and breakers have swept over me (Psalm 42:7; NIV).

God is light (1 John 1:5; NLT).

References

They will pass safely through the sea of distress (Zechariah 10:11; NLT).

His voice thundered like mighty ocean waves (Revelation 1:15; NLT).

In heaven

Ruth Kirk

Happy are those who mourn; God will comfort them! (Matthew 5:4; GNT).

In heaven, terror turns to peace,
And grief becomes delight.

In heaven, trouble turns to bliss,
And every wrong’s made right.

In heaven, anguish turns to smiles,
And pain, at last, is healed.

In heaven, weeping turns to joy
When Jesus is revealed.

We look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed (Titus 2:13; NLT).

You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing (Psalm 30:11; NLT).

He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever (Revelation 21:4; NLT).

Lost?

Ruth Kirk

Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless (Psalm 107:4; NLT).

Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom, imprisoned in iron chains of misery (Psalm 107:10; NLT).

Lost in darkness, or abuse?
Lost in emptiness, or dread?
Lost in hopelessness, or sin?
Lost in panic, rage, or fear?

Lost in loneliness, or grief?
Lost in suffering, or pain?
Lost in bitterness, or hate?
Lost in anguish? Christ is here.

The Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost (Luke 19:10; NLT).

I am with you every day, even unto the end of time (Matthew 28:20; ABPE).

References

He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground (Luke 22:41-44; NLT).

Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested (Hebrews 2:18; NLT).

Since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most (Hebrews 4:14-16; NLT).

No power in the sky above or in the earth below – indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:39; NLT).