Category: guide

When I wake

Ruth Kirk

I know that the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me (Psalm 16:8; NLT).

1. When I wake, Lord,
You are with me.
When I pray
We join as one.

2. When I walk
You go with me
In rain, or storm,
Or summer sun.

3. When I serve,
We work together.
When I’m sick,
You share my pain.

4. When I sleep,
You rest beside me
Till we rise
To start again.

5. Lord, in danger,
You are with me,
Guarding me
With staff and rod;

6. And, in death,
You’ll still be here,
To guide my spirit
Back to God.

References

1. When I wake up, you are still with me (Psalm 139:18; NLT).

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

2. I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20; NLT).

3. The Lord worked with them (Mark 16:20; NIV).

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

4. Then Jesus said, “Come to me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28-30; NLT).

In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe (Psalm 4:8; NLT).

5. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you (Isaiah 43:2; NLT).

You are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me (Psalm 23:4; NLT).

6. Even when I walk through the dark valley of death, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me (Psalm 23:4; NLT, alternative translation).

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

Photo acknowledgement: Lucy Chian

 

Angel of the hour

Ruth Kirk

Angels came and took care of Jesus (Matthew 4:11; NLT).

1. Angel of the hour, I thank you
For the smile you offer me,
Prompting me to recognise
That God is here in all I see.

2. Angel of the day, I thank you
For your greeting in the street,
Causing me to recollect
That God is here in all I meet.

3. Angel of the month, I thank you
For your guidance when I stray,
Urging me to trust that God
Is with me on this narrow way.

4. Angel of the year, I thank you,
For you save me when I fall,
And you rescue me from danger:
God is in you most of all.

5. Angels, I am truly thankful –
You are sent by God’s own hand,
Helping me through this long exile,
Till I reach his Promised Land.

References

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

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

3. He guides me along right paths (Psalm 23:3; NLT).

4. He rescues me (Psalm 35:9; NLT).

5. He sends his angels like the winds, his servants like flames of fire (Hebrews 1:7; NLT).

He will order his angels to protect you wherever you go (Psalm 91:11-12; NLT).

He chose the Promised Land as our inheritance (Psalm 47:4; NLT).

Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realising it! (Hebrews 13:2; NLT).

The kingdom, the power and the glory

Ruth Kirk

Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
(Matthew 6:13; HNV).

1. Yours, the kingdom,
Yours, the earth;
You are God,
Who gives us birth:

2. Evermore
Our Lord, Most High;
You are God,
To whom we cry.

3. Yours, the power,
Chosen Son;
You are God,
Who makes us one:

4. Evermore
Our Spotless Lamb;
You are God,
The great I AM.

5. Yours, the glory,
Holy Ghost;
You are God
Within each Host:

6. Evermore
Our Guide and Friend;
You are God –
We shout: AMEN!

References

1. The Lord is God, and he created the heavens and earth and put everything in place (Isaiah 45:18; NLT).

2. The Lord Most High is awesome (Psalm 47:2; NLT).

3. This is my Son, my Chosen One (Luke 9:35; NLT).

4. Christ himself was an Israelite as far as his human nature is concerned. And he is God (Romans 9:5; NLT).
God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14; NLT).
The high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” Jesus said, “I AM” (Mark 14:61; NLT).

5. The Lord – who is the Spirit – makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image (2 Corinthians 3:18; NLT).
He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body” (Luke 22:19; NIV).
There is one Lord […] who is over all and in all and living through all (Ephesians 4:5-6; NLT).

6. He will give you another Advocate [Comforter, Encourager, Counsellor], who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17; NLT).
All glory to God forever and ever! Amen (Galatians 1:5; NLT).

The sacred arts

Ruth Kirk

Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples (Luke 11:1; NLT).

1. Teach us, Lord, to pray like you,
Who walked on Jordan’s banks,
So we can practice constantly
The sacred art of thanks.

2. Guide us all to pray like you,
Who saved all those who strayed,
So we can practice constantly
The sacred art of praise.

3. Show us how to pray like you,
Who raised the lifeless boy,
So we can practice constantly
The sacred art of joy.

4. Help us, Lord, to pray like you,
Who gave your flesh and blood,
So we can practice constantly
The sacred art of love.

References

1. Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people
(John 6:11; NLT).

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

2. Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth” (Matthew 11:25; NIV).

O God, we […] constantly praise your name (Psalm 44:8; NLT).

3. Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit (Luke 10:21; NLT).

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

4. Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’” (Matthew 22:37-39; NLT).

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

The breath of life

Ruth Kirk

1. Lord,
You are the Breath of Life:
Our flesh, our bones, our blood;
Our strength, our mind, our heartbeat,
Our spirit, and our love.

2. Lord,
You are the Bread of Life:
Our water, and our wine;
Our land, our flocks, our shelter,
Our harvest, and our vine.

3. Lord,
You are the Light of Life:
Our lantern, staff, and rod;
Our way, our guide, our Shepherd,
Our Saviour, and our God.

4. Lord,
You are the Book of Life:
Our crucible, our soul;
Our faith, our hope, our passion,
Our dawning, and our goal.

References

1. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person (Genesis 2:7; NLT).

2. I am the bread of life (John 6:48; NLT).

3. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life
(John 8:12; NIV).

4. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life (Revelation 3:5; NLT).

Letting go

Ruth Kirk

When you were young, you were able to do as you liked;
you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go.
But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands,
and others will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go.
(John 21:18; NLT).

1. Lord, as I get older,
I find I must let go
Of all I take for granted,
But, instead, you make me grow.

2. I’ve had to let my looks go,
My vanity and pride;
My status and my ego,
But, instead, you are my guide.

3. I’ve had to let my strength go,
My energy and health;
My work and independence,
But, instead, you give me help.

4. I’ve had to let my past go,
My childhood, my abuse;
My bitterness and hatred,
But, instead, you teach me truth.

5. And I will have to give up more:
My body, life, and breath;
But I will gladly let them go,
To merge with you, in death.

References

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

We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ (Ephesians 4:15; NLT

2. He is our God forever and ever, and he will guide us until we die (Psalm 48:14; NLT).

3. My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth (Psalm 121:2; NLT).

4. The Spirit is truth (1 John 5:6; NKJV).

Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth (Psalm 86:11; NLT).

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

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

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

We can’t give hope

Ruth Kirk

To acquire wisdom is to love oneself (Proverbs 19:8; NLT).

1. We can’t give hope to others
When we have none of our own.

2. We can’t love other people
When we hate to be alone.

3. We can’t guide other people
When we do not know the way,

4. Nor help them find their heaven
When we live in hell each day.

References

1. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future (Jeremiah 17:6; NLT).

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

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

4. God blesses those who […] realise their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs (Matthew 5:3; NLT).

If I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there (Psalm 139:8; NLT).