Category: loss

Breakdown

Ruth Kirk


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

1. Every breakdown
Is a breakthrough
When I face it, Lord,
With you.

2. Every illness
Is a blessing –
Lord, your saints show
This is true.

3. Every struggle
Is a call
To follow you
Along life’s way –

4. To change and grow,
So I may serve
In all I feel, think, do,
And say.

References

1. 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).

2. When I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:10; NLT).

3. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised (Job 1:21; NIV).

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

4. 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).

Whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus (Colossians 3:17; 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).

You understand

Ruth Kirk
With thanks to Walter Rane

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

1. You understand our struggles
And misfortunes;
You understand our failures,
And our fears.

2. You understand our losses
And afflictions;
You understand our anguish,
And our tears.

3. You understand our secrets
And temptations;
You understand our lives –
Each bitter pill.

4. You understand the tests
We must endure, Lord,
For you have shared them all –
And share them still.

References

1. He made their hearts, so he understands everything they do (Psalm 33:15; NLT).

The Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought (1 Chronicles 28:9; NIV).

2. When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died” […] Then Jesus wept. The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!” (John 11:32,35-6; NLT).

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

3. He knows the secrets of every heart (Psalm 44:21; NLT).

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil (Luke 4:1-2; NIV).

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).

They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink (Psalm 69:21; NKJV).

4. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all the same testings we do (Hebrews 4:15; 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).

Suffering and loss

Ruth Kirk

Pray for all people. Ask God to help them;
intercede on their behalf
(1 Timothy 2:1; NLT).

1. Lord,
I pray for all of us
Who suffer:

2. Those yearning for a home,
A job,
A child;

3. Those thirsting for freedom
From fear, abuse,
Or exploitation;

4. Those longing for better health
For others,
Or themselves;

5. And those who ache
For the presence
Of the dead.

6. Please strengthen us
To face each loss;
Console us when we mourn.

7. Help us to find
New hope in you,
And to rebuild our lives

8. By following your much-loved Son,
Who gave up all he had
For us.

Through his dear name,
Amen.

References

1. Pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf (1 Timothy 2:1; NLT).

2. Forget not your servant but give her a son (1 Samuel 1:11; NIV).

3. The oppressed will be set free (Luke 4:18; NLT).

4. He will heal us (Hosea 6:1; NLT).

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

6. Even when I walk in 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).

7. “I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11; NLT).

Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me!” (Matthew 4:19; NLT).

8. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being (Philippians 2:6-7; NLT).

We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us (1 John 3:16; NLT).

Good and bad

Ruth Kirk

1. Thank you, Lord,
For good and bad,
For all I’ve learned,
And all I’ve lost.

2. Thank you, Lord,
For all you give,
For all you take,
And life’s great cost.

3. Thank you, Lord,
For all your love,
For your forgiveness,
And your Son.

4. Thank you, Lord,
For sending us
Your Spirit, who
Makes us all one.

References

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

2. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised (Job 1:21; NIV).

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

4. You are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28; NLT).

Wake from the nightmare

Ruth Kirk
Image: Johannesburg Plenio, Pixabay

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

1. Let’s wake from the the nightmare
Of childhood,
And think of the mountains
We’ve crossed.

2. Let’s cast off the hell
Of our parents,
And rise above all
We have lost.

3. Let’s wake in the light
Of God’s kingdom
To think of his Son,
And forgive.

4. Let’s cast off depression
And darkness,
And rise in his strength –
Then we’ll live!

Image: nonmisvegliate, Pixabay

References

1. Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you (Ephesians 5:14; NIV).

The gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult (Matthew 7:14; 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).

2. Banish anxiety from you heart and and cast off the troubles of your body (Ecclesiastes 11:10; NIV).

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised (Job 1:21; NIV).

3. [Give] joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light (Colossians 1:12; NIV).

If you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you (Matthew 6:14; NIV).

4. Those who wait for the Lord’s help find renewed strength; they rise up as if they had eagles’ wings, they run without growing weary, they walk without getting tired (Isaiah 40:31; NET).

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10; NLT).

Every illness

Ruth Kirk
Image: Christine Kugel, Pixabay

A wise person thinks a lot about death (Ecclesiastes 7:4; NLT).

1. Every illness helps us
To prepare ourselves
For death.

2. Working to accept each loss
Will help us give up life
And breath.

3. May we welcome all our trials
With courage, thanks, Lord,
Joy and grace,

4. For each one brings us ever closer
To your kiss,
And your embrace.

References

1. A wise person thinks a lot about death (Ecclesiastes 7:4; NLT).

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

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

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

While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him (Luke 15:20; NIV).

A day full of shadows

Ruth Kirk


1. A day full of shadows,
A night full of pain;

2. A dawning in darkness
To suffer again.

3. A mountain of torment,
A torrent of fears –

4. Where did my freedom go?
Melting in tears.

5. An infinite sentence
Of chronic ill-health

6. And the loss of life’s riches –
But God is my wealth.

References

1. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me (Psalm 23:4; KJV).

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

2. At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock (Mark 15:33; NLT).

3. Days of suffering torment me (Job 30:27; NLT).

4. When you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go (John 21:18; NIV).

5. Why is light given to those in misery, and life to the bitter of soul, to those that long for death that does not come, who search for it more than hidden treasure? (Job3:20-2; NIV).

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

How great are God’s riches of wisdom and knowledge! (Romans 11:33; NLT).

Nothing is wasted

Ruth Kirk
Photo: MichaelGaida

Jesus said to his disciples,
“Gather up the broken pieces that are left over,
so that nothing is wasted”
(John 6:12; NET).

1. Nothing, Lord, is wasted
In your kingdom –
All things work together
For our gain.

2. May we accept what comes,
Both good and bad, Lord,
With thanks for every pleasure,
Loss, and pain.

3. Help us to learn
From all our trials and sorrows,
Rejoicing in your wisdom
And your name,

4. Then, even that which breaks us
Won’t be wasted,
For we will comfort those
Who share the same.

References

1. The Kingdom of God is already among you (Luke 17:21; NLT).

We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God (Romans 8:28; NLT).

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

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

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

In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name (Psalm 33:21; NLT).

4. I am like a broken vessel (Psalm 31:12; NKJV).

He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others (2 Corinthians 1:4; NLT).

Thank you for your fire

Ruth Kirk

1. Thank you for your fire, Lord,
In my life;
My fears and failures;
All I have attained.

2. Thank you for your truth, Lord,
In my mind;
My pain and loss;
The wisdom I have gained.

3. Thank you for your peace, Lord,
In my heart;
My faith and hope;
The trust I place in you.

4. Thank you for your love, Lord,
In my soul;
My help in all I think,
And say, and do.

References

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

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

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

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