Category: joy

Waiting (#2 of 2 linked prayers) Blog

Ruth Kirk
Image: 272447, Pixabay

Wait for the Lord (Psalm 37:34; NIV).

1. I wait in silence,
Ready to share your joy.

2. I wait in stillness,
Ready to share your life.

3. I wait, alone, Lord,
Ready to share your dread.

4. I wait in darkness,
Ready to share your light.

References

1. Be silent before the Sovereign Lord (Zephaniah 1:7; NIV).

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

I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! (John 15:11; NLT).

2. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him (Psalm 37:7; NIV).

When Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory (Colossians 3:4; NLT).

3. When you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private (Matthew 6:6; NLT).

Being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground (Luke 22:44; NIV).

If we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering (Romans 8:17; NLT).

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

I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life (John 8:12; NLT).

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

I wish…

Ruth Kirk
Image: Florian Kurz, Pixabay

1. Jesus, I love you.
My dear One, I love you so much.

2. I wish I could shout, Lord,
And sing at the top of my voice.

3. I wish I could beat out wild music
On drums, till they burst.

4. I wish I could run, Lord, and dance,
And turn cartwheels of joy.

5. I wish I could see you, embrace you,
And kiss your poor feet.

6. I wish I could cling to your hands,
As we weep for the world.

7. But I can do nothing alone,
So I long for your grace,

8. As I stumble in darkness, and silence, Lord,
Seeking your face.

References

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

2. Sing to him a new song; play skilfully and shout for joy (Psalm 33:3; NIV).

3. Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a hand-drum in her hand, and all the women went out after her with hand-drums and with dances (Exodus 15:20; NET).

4. David was dancing before the Lord with all his might (2 Samuel 6:14; NIV).

5. She knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet (Luke 7:38; NLT).

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

7. Without me you can do nothing (John 15:5; NKJV).

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

He […] gives grace to the humble (Proverbs 3:34; NKJV).

8. Even at brightest noontime, we stumble as though it were dark (Isaiah 59:10; NLT).

Be silent before the Sovereign Lord (Zephaniah 1:7; NIV).

My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek (Psalm 27:8; NIV).

Now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12; KJV).

Flashback (for A.)

Ruth Kirk
Image: rock-cafe, Yandex

When you go through deep waters, I will be with you
(Isaiah 43:2; NLT).

1. Here comes a flashback,
Always undesired:
My mother, screaming at me
Without restraint.

2. I’m two or three years old,
So I can neither
Understand her words,
Nor guess what lies behind them.

3. I’m at her mercy,
Paralysed by fear;
Helpless, lost, defenceless,
And alone.

4. But here you are, Lord,
Entering the scene.
You pick me up,
Then take my mother’s hand.

5. “Peace, be still!”
These are your only words.

6. You shine with love,
And radiate concern.
Your voice is steady, gentle, calm,
And kind.

7. You look at us
With perfect understanding.
Comfort and healing
Flow from your wounded hands.

8. My mother’s screaming stops.
My terror ends.
Together, we absorb
Your silent joy…

9. And then my flashback fades, but from now on
Every time this memory intrudes,
You will be present, Jesus, at its heart,
Just as you were, in fact, so long ago.

References

4. He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young (Isaiah 40:11; NIV).

5. He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm (Mark 4:39; NKJV).

6. His face shone like the sun (Matthew 17:2; NIV).

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

9. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me (Psalm 23:4; NLT).

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

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows (Isaiah 53:4; NIV).

Nothing

Ruth Kirk
Image: young ho seo, Pixabay

No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven
(John 3:27; NLT).

Lord,

1. There’s nothing I can do
To earn the love you give each day,
Nothing I can do
To win your help along the way;

2. There’s nothing I can do
To grasp the joys you want to share,
Nothing I can do
To gain your peace in all I bear;

3. There’s nothing I can do
To make the sunlight you supply,
Nothing I can do
To find your truth before I die;

4. There’s nothing I can do
To be at one with you today,
Nothing, Lord, at all –
Except believe in you, and pray!

References

1. You are trying to earn favour with God by observing certain days or months or seasons or years. I fear for you (Galatians 4:10-11; NLT).

2. May God, who gives us his peace, be with you all (Romans 15:33; NLT).

3. He gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good (Matthew 5:45; NLT).

4. What is impossible for people is possible with God (Luke 18:27; NLT).

This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent (John 6:29; NLT).

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

Pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done (Philippians 4:6; NLT).

You desire honesty from the womb (Psalm 51:6; NLT).

Trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge (Psalm 62:8; NLT).

Firestorm

Ruth Kirk

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

1. God is great:
His firestorm
Consumes our hatred, rage, and scorn.

2. God is strong:
His blinding light
Dazzles our weak, human sight.

3. God is good:
His perfect peace
Brings us joy that will not cease.

4. God is wise:
His sacred truth
Kindles insight from our youth.

5. God is kind:
His endless love
Flows from heaven, in Christ’s blood.

6. God is close:
His still, small voice
Helps us with each painful choice.

7. God is here:
His gentle breath
Sustains us all from birth to death.

References

1. God is a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24; NIV). 

2. God is light (1 John 1:5; NIV).


3. The Lord is peace (Judges 6:24; NLT).

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

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

6. Call on him now while he is near (Isaiah 55:6; NLT).

7. God is with us (Matthew 1:23; NLT).

Presence

Ruth Kirk

The Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it
(Genesis 28:16; NLT).

1. God is present in all things:
In joy and pain,
In loss, and gain;
In smiles and tears,
In plans, and fears.

2. God is present in all things:
In earth and sky,
In land, and sea;
In life and death,
In you, and me.

References

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

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

2. “Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth?” says the Lord (Jeremiah 23:4; NLT).

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

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

“Self”

Ruth Kirk


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

1. Help me, Lord, to seek
My inner “self” –
The hidden light
That always guides my way.

2. Help me to discern
My shadow “self” –
The honest truth
That talks with me each day.

3. Help me to explore
My silent “self” –
The secret peace
That brings me such great joy.

4. Help me to accept
My inmost “self” –
The healing love
That nothing can destroy.

5. Help me, then, to shed
My fragile “self” –
It’s only an illusion, Lord,
A breath,

6. For I am one with you,
And you with me –
So nothing will remain of “self”
In death.

References

1. You will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all soul (Deuteronomy 4:29; NIV).

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

2. You will know the truth and the truth will set you free (John 8:32; NLT).

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


3. You will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand (Philippians 4:7; NLT).

The Lord is peace (Judges 6:24; NLT).

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

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

5. We ourselves are like fragile clay jars (2 Corinthians 4:7; NLT).

Common people are only a vapour; important people, an illusion (Psalm 62:9; CSB).

They will fade like a dream and not be found (Job 20:8; NLT).

6. I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one (John 17:22; NLT).

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

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

Guilt (#2 of 2 linked prayers)

Ruth Kirk

1. At last! I’ve grasped
A fundamental truth:
There’s no need to feel guilty
All the time
For praying, Lord,
However I can manage.

2. There are no other words
That I should say.
All you ask is that I’m real,
And honest,
For otherwise, Lord,
How can we be one?

3. This truth brings gladness,
Inner peace,
And freedom,
For it shows me
That your kingdom, Lord,
Has come.

References

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

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

Pour out your heart to him (Psalm 62:8; NLT).

2. You desire honesty from the womb (Psalm 51:6; NLT).

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

I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one (John 17:22; NLT).

3. Worship the Lord with gladness (Psalm 100:2; NLT).

I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the gift I give is a gift the world cannot give (John 14:27; NLT).

You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:32; NLT).

Your kingdom come (Luke 11:2; NIV).

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

Guilt (#1 of 2 linked prayers)

Ruth Kirk

1. At last! I’ve grasped
A fundamental truth:
There’s no need
To feel guilty all the time
For being, Lord,
Exactly as I am.

2. There is no other way
That I should be.
All you ask is that I’m real,
And honest,
For otherwise, Lord,
How can we be one?

3. This truth brings gladness,
Inner peace,
And freedom,
For it shows me
That your kingdom, Lord,
Has come.

References

1. Pour out your heart to him (Psalm 62:8; NLT).

2. You desire honesty from the womb (Psalm 51:6; NLT).

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

3. Worship the Lord with gladness (Psalm 100:2; NLT).

I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the gift I give is a gift the world cannot give (John 14:27; NLT).

You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:32; NLT).

Your kingdom come (Luke 11:2; NIV).

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

Thankfulness

Ruth Kirk

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

1. Thank you, Lord,
For everything you give me,
For everything I have
Comes straight from you:

2. My way, my truth, my life,
My goal, my purpose;
My faith, my hope, my love:
Yours, through and through;

3. My blessings, Lord:
Each gift that makes me joyful;
My sorrows:
Every cross that I must bear;

4. Help me to learn
From everything you send me,
Whilst thanking you
For all your tender care.

References

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

Everything comes from God (1 Corinthians 11:12; NIV).

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

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

Everything belongs to you (1 Chronicles 29:16; CSB).

3. They will be radiant because of the Lord’s good gifts (Jeremiah 31:12; NLT).

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

4. Don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you. For the Lord corrects those he loves (Proverbs 3:11-12; NLT).

We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28; NIV).

He loves us with unfailing love (Psalm 117:2; NLT).