Category: Grief

You alone

Ruth Kirk

On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night (Psalm 63:6; NIV).

Cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord (Lamentations 2:19; NIV).

In the watches of the night,
You alone, my Lord, shine bright.
Trusting you to lead the way,
Lord, I turn to you, and pray.

In the darkness of the night,
You alone, my Lord, are light.
So, despite my grief and pain,
You, Lord, give me hope again.

In the silence of the night,
You, alone, my Lord, invite
Me to spend some time with you –
And every word you speak is true.

In the anguish of the night,
You, alone, my Lord, unite
With me, bring peace, and fortitude,
And fill my heart with gratitude.

The LORD strengthens and protects me; I trust in him with all my heart. I am rescued and my heart is full of joy; I will sing to him in gratitude (Psalm 28:7; NET).

 

Prompt me

Ruth Kirk

May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do (2 Thessalonians 1:11; NLT).

Lord,
Please prompt my heart to pray
For everyone in need, today.

Lord,
Please move my heart to pray
For everyone who grieves, today.

Lord,
Please spur my heart to pray
For everyone in pain, today.

Lord,
Please urge my heart to pray
For everyone who dies, today.

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 8:26-7; AMP).

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf (1 Timothy 2:1; 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).

Be holy

Ruth Kirk

Be holy in all you do, since it is the Holy One who has called you, and scripture says: Be holy, for I am holy (1 Peter 1:15-16; JB). 

May I be holy, Lord,
In all I do;
In all I think and say
Each day, like you.

In every kind of suffering
And pain,
May I be holy, always,
And remain

Your faithful servant,
And your willing slave:
Patient, thankful, joyful, kind,
And brave.

Then, despite each sacrifice
And loss,
I will be holy, still,
And bear my cross.

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).

References

God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time (Hebrews 10:10; NLT).

Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me (Matthew 25:40; NIV).

Whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else (Mark 10:44; NLT).

The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-3; NLT).

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; NIV).

 

In suffering

Ruth Kirk

Even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45; NLT). 

In every kind of suffering
May we identify with Christ,
Who dedicated all his days
To service and self-sacrifice.

In physical and mental anguish,
Trials and sorrows, all God sends,
Let’s offer up our pain and grief
For others’ sins. Let’s make amends

On their behalf, ask God to heal
All their afflictions, and restore
Their souls to faith, hope, love and joy –
Through Christ our Lord, for evermore.

I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church (Colossians 1:24; NLT).

 

My soul

Ruth Kirk

The LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7; NKJV).

My soul is not my own:
It’s God, within.

He breathed it into me
When I was born.

So, though I’m here in exile,
We are one,

Sharing each joy and sorrow,
Pain, and thorn.

I was given a thorn in my flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7; NLT).

References

My spirit is still in me, and the breath from God is in my nostrils (Job 27;3; NET).

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you (Romans 8:11; NLT).

The kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21; NKJV). 

The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life (Job 33:4; NLT). 

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

God rejoices over you (Isaiah 62:5; LSV). 

My soul rejoices in my God (Isaiah 61:10; NIV).

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

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

In all their distress… He lifts them up, and carries them (Isaiah 63:9; LSV). 

God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others (2 Corinthians 1:3-4; NLT). 

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

 

Rejoice

Ruth Kirk

Rejoice always (1 Thessalonians 5:17; NIV).

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior (Habakkuk 3:17; NIV).

No matter what befalls me, Lord,
May I rejoice in you;
And when I suffer pain or loss,
May I rejoice in you.

No matter how depressed I am,
May I rejoice in you;
And when I’m feeling anxious, Lord,
May I rejoice in you.

When I’m in death’s dark valley, Lord,
May I rejoice in you;
Then, when I reach your Kingdom, Lord,
I will rejoice in you!

My soul will rejoice in the LORD and delight in his salvation (Psalm 32:11; NIV).

References

Yea, though I walk 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).

He will remove the cloud of gloom, the shadow of death that hangs over the earth. He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign LORD will wipe away all tears. He will remove forever all insults and mockery against his land and people. The LORD has spoken! In that day the people will proclaim, “This is our God! We trusted in him, and he saved us! This is the LORD, in whom we trusted. Let us rejoice in the salvation he brings!” (Isaiah 25:7-9; NLT).

Hell on earth

Ruth Kirk

How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days (Matthew 24:19; NLT). 

I pray for those whose lives
Are hell on earth:
The sick; the grieving;
Those who lack self-worth;

The homeless; those in prison;
Lost; abused;
The poor; the dying;
Those who are confused;

Those with mental illness;
Lonely; sad;
And those who are rejected –
Seen as ‘bad’;

The hungry; refugees,
And those who thirst
For hope, Lord:
Help us all to put them first.

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:42-5; NLT).

The last will be first, and the first will be last (Matthew 20:16; NIV).

References

Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and plagues in many lands (Luke 21:10-11; NLT).

They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land (Jeremiah 17:6; NLT).

I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him? (Psalm 42:2; NLT).

When the poor and needy search for water and there is none, and their tongues are parched from thirst, then I, the LORD, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will never abandon them (Isaiah 41:17; NLT). 

Love your neighbour as yourself (Leviticus 19:18; NLT).

Love the stranger (Deuteronomy 10:19; NKJV).

Show love to foreigners (Deuteronomy 10:19; NLT).

Love your enemies (Matthew 5:44; NLT). 

When you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me (Matthew 25:45; NLT).

 

So mighty

Ruth Kirk

God is mighty (Job 36:5; NLT). 

You are so mighty, Lord,
Constantly there;
Strength and compassion
Beyond all compare.

You are so tender, Lord,
Endlessly here;
Sharing our sickness, our grief,
And our fear.

You are so loving, Lord,
Always within;
Hearing our prayers,
And forgiving our sin.

You are so steadfast,
Our staff and our rod;
Our Guide, our Good Shepherd,
Our Lord, and our God.

“My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed (John 20:28; NLT).

 

I find you

Ruth Kirk

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). 

Lord,
I find you in my sickness,
Grief, depression, fear and pain.
Suffering with you is freedom:
Every loss becomes a gain.

Lord,
I meet you in acceptance,
Knowing that you always care.
Suffering with you: my mission:
Every sigh becomes a prayer.

Lord,
I long to serve your kingdom.
May each hardship be a cue
To intercede for all who suffer,
As I strive to follow you.

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).