Category: loss

God awakes

Ruth Kirk

Here is a video of today’s blog: God awakes

Sing to the one who rides across the ancient heavens
(Psalm 68:33; NLT). 

God awakes the ancient heavens:
Time begins in endless space.
All creation flows within him:
Earth, light, water; life, peace, grace.
Then, he makes both men and women,
Each reflecting his dear face.

Disobedience; selfishness:
Oh, how the lust for power grows!
Watching; waiting; weeping; raging:
Still, the God of mercy shows
Unfailing love. He sends his Son:
Most precious gift, although he knows

Exactly what will happen next.
They spurned his Way, and all he said,
Scorned him; beat him; jeered, and spat,
As, hanging on the cross, he bled
And died that day, for all our sins.
Since then, his Spirit comes, instead,

To those who trust his holy name.
Shun selfishness! Take up your cross.
Put others first. Accept what comes
With thanks, and see the rest as dross.
Then, follow Christ through life’s dark vale,
Clinging to him in pain and loss.

Cling to your faith in Christ (1 Timothy 1:19; NLT).

His body [lamenting its decay] grieves in pain over it, and his soul mourns over [the loss of] himself (Job 14:22; AMP).

References

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1; NLT). 

God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27; NLT).

The [population of the] earth was corrupt [absolutely depraved – spiritually and morally putrid] in God’s sight, and the land was filled with violence [desecration, infringement, outrage, assault, and lust for power] (Genesis 6:11; AMP).

The Lord your God is a raging fire (Deuteronomy 4:24; GW).

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

God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16; NLT).

On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4; NLT). 

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12; NIV). 

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).

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18; NIV).

Everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him (Philippians 3:8-9; 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).

What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his soul? (Mark 8:36; DBY). 

Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will leave this life. The LORD gives, and the LORD takes away. Blessed be the name of the LORD (Job 1:21; CFSB).

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).

References 

Verse 1:
Keep on seeking, and you will find (Matthew 7:7; NLT).
The Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17; NLT).
You live under the freedom of God’s grace (Romans 6:14; NLT).
The LORD gives, and the LORD takes away. Blessed be the name of the LORD (Job 1:21; CSB).
To live is Christ, and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21; ANT).
We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28; NIV).

Verse 2:
Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad? (Job 2:10; NLT).
I will be glad and rejoice in your unfailing love, for you have seen my troubles,
and you care about the anguish of my soul (Psalm 31:7; NLT).
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).
Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world (John 16:33; NLT).

Verse 3:
We must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God (Acts 14:22; NLT).
I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them (1 Timothy 2:1; NLT).
Just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him (Colossians 2:6; NLT).

We look to you

Ruth Kirk

Since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you (John 13:14-15; NLT). 

Help us, Lord,
To look to you
As our ideal
In all we do:

To follow you,
And bear our cross;
Encourage others,
Face each loss;

Accept our sorrows,
Love you still,
And always choose
Our Father’s will.

Then 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).

Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised (Hebrews 10:36; NLT).

References 

God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps (1 Peter 2:21; NLT).

Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God (Ephesians 5:2; NLT).

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).

If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine (Matthew 10:38; NLT).

19.1.24: Pray within me

Ruth Kirk
Pray within me: Ruth Kirk.

The Spirit [comes to us and] helps us in our weakness. 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).

Pray within me, Holy Spirit:
Intercede on my behalf.
Pray for those who face life’s sorrows,
In accordance with God’s will.

Pray within me, Holy Spirit:
You alone know what to ask.
Pray for all who suffer fear and loss,
And everyone who’s ill.

Pray within me, Holy Spirit:
I am weak, but you are strong.
Pray for me, whatever comes,
And help me, please, to praise God still.

Hope in God! For I shall still praise him for the saving help of his presence (Psalm 42:5; HNV).

References

Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world (John 16:33; NLT).

I will beg the Father, and he will give you another Comforter, that he may be with you for ever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see him nor know him; but ye know him, for he abides with you, and shall be in you (John 14:15-17; DBT).

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

11.12.23: Sharing

Ruth Kirk

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

1. You bear all our burdens;
We help with your cross.

2. You yielded your body;
We give you each loss.

3. You send us your Spirit;
We share in your blood.

4. You grant us salvation;
We live in your love.

Anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.
(1 John 4:8,16; NLT).

References 

Verse 1:

As they led Jesus away, a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, happened to be coming in from the countryside. The soldiers seized him and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus (Luke 23:26; NLT). 

Verse 2:

My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done (Matthew 26:42; NLT). 

Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last (Mark 15:37; NLT). 

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you (1 Peter 5:7; NLT).

Verse 3:

Now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised (Luke 24:49; NLT).

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? (1 Corinthians 10:16; CSB).

Verse 4:

The grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people (Titus 2:11; NIV).

God is our salvation (Psalm 68:19; CSB).

Jesus is “the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.” Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved (Acts 4:11-12; NIV).

2.12.23: Faith, hope and love

Ruth Kirk

My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? (Psalm 22:1; NIV).

When faith has ebbed,
And hope is gone,
And love is broken
On the cross,

We’ll see your face,
Receive your kiss,
And feast, as you
Bring joy from loss.

So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him (Luke 15:20; NLT).

References

These three remain: faith, hope and love (1 Corinthians 13:13; NIV).

God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted (Matthew 5:4; NLT).

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5; NKJV).

God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them (Romans 8:28; NLT).

26.11.23: These three reman

Ruth Kirk

These three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
(1 Corinthians 13:13; NIV).

These three remain:
Faith, hope and love,
For all the rest is dross.

These three remain:
Faith, hope and love,
In anguish, grief, and loss.

These three remain:
Faith, hope and love,
Yet Christ is greater still –

Because He gave
His life for us,
When He obeyed God’s will.

Then 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).

References 

Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him (Philippians 3:8; NLT).

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

At three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”) (Mark 15:34; NIV).

Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last (Luke 23:46; NIV). 

Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live (Galatians 1:4; NLT).

He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone (1 Timothy 2:6; NLT). 

7.11.23: A love-letter

Ruth Kirk

This prayer came to me in the middle of the night, when I looked out of my bedroom window. I couldn’t sleep, because the day before we had made an offer for a small, wheelchair-accessible bungalow in a nearby town.

Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will leave this life. The LORD gives, and the LORD takes away. Blessed be the name of the LORD (Job 1:21; CSB). 

My beloved Father,

As long as I have this beautiful view from my room, I feel I can cope with whatever life brings. Yet I will lose it soon, for we must move.

As long as I can write, and post prayers on my website, I feel my life has a purpose. But I already know that one day, at a time of your choosing, you will stop giving me any more prayers.

As long as I have my much-loved icons around me, I feel I can face whatever losses and suffering you send. However, even these icons will have to be left behind one day. Then, no matter what comes, I must go on without their help.

As long as I can pray, I feel that my life is worth living, because I can experience your presence, no matter what I have to endure. Nevertheless, I realise that I won’t necessarily always be able to pray.

Lord, as I grow older, more unwell, forgetful and disabled, my life is slowly reducing to the absolute essentials of faith, hope, and love. These I will consciously cling to for as long as I possibly can. Yet even when I can cling no longer, whatever happens, I know that nothing can ever separate me from your love, because:

From the beginning, long before my life began, for as long as it continues, and eternally, beyond my death, I am part of you, my God, and I am one with you.

Thank you, beloved Lord, that nothing can ever take this truth away.

For I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow – not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 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 8:38-9; NLT).

References…

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; KJV).

I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1:5; NLT).

There is in humans a Spirit, the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding (Job 32:8; GWT).

Then he [Jesus] breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22; NLT).

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

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

…and further references 

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! (Habakkuk 3:17-18; NLT).

I tell you the truth, 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).

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

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

I want your will to be done, not mine (Luke 22:42; NLT). 

Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him (Job 13:15; KJV).

28.10.23: Flying colours (for J.Y.)

Ruth Kirk

I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us (Philippians 3:13-14; NLT).

Come through life with flying colours:
Make each loss you face, a gain.
Come through every test with honours:
Trust in Jesus’ Holy Name.

Come through death in shining robes:
Be guided by his staff and rod.
Come, at last, borne by his Spirit:
Then unite with Christ, our God.

Come, for evermore, to heaven:
Merge with Him, our resting-place.
Come, receive the victor’s prize:
To gaze, forever, on his face.

His servants will worship him. And they will see his face (Revelation 22:3-4; NLT).

References

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).

This faith was given to you because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior (2 Peter 1:1; NLT).

3.10.23: In your hands

Ruth Kirk
Pexels: Pixabay.

I woke at 4am yesterday, and the moment I began to pray, these verses began to flow with very little input from me at all:

Our lives are in his hands (Psalm 66:9; NLT). 

In your hands, dear Lord,
I’ll rest,
Throughout each danger,
Loss and test,
However scared,
However stressed:
My Father.

In your hands, dear Lord,
I’ll stay,
Despite my troubles,
Every day,
However weary,
I will pray:
My Jesus.

In your hands, dear Lord,
I’ll die,
Then straight to you
My soul will fly,
For you are God,
Who shares each sigh:
My Spirit.

In your hands,
Dear Trinity,
I’ll live, forever
Joyful, free
To worship you
In ecstasy:
My Saviour.

God poured out the Holy Spirit abundantly on us through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that by his grace we might be put right with God and come into possession of the eternal life we hope for (Titus 3:6-7; GNT).