Category: Loss

Finding hope

Ruth Kirk

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).

I find my hope in Christ,
And find my joy there, too.

I find my peace in Christ,
Who heals, and makes me new.

I find my light in Christ,
However dark the night.

I find my strength in Christ,
For Jesus is my life.

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

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

References

For me, to live is Christ [He is my source of joy, my reason to live] (Philippians 1:21; AMP).

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you (John 14:27; NIV).

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).

He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:30; RSV).

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work (1 Timothy 1:12; NLT).

 

Jesus’ faith

Ruth Kirk

I have written about Jesus’ faith before, but this week grasped its depth and significance even more clearly. Today I’ve tried to express this again, in the form of a prayer.

At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Matthew 27:46; NLT).

Lord Jesus,

Despite all the terrible pain and humiliation you suffered, you never lost your faith in God.

When you were dying on the cross, you felt abandoned by God, but even this didn’t make you reject God, or doubt Yahweh’s existence.

I know this because, with your final words, you still entrusted your soul into God’s hands.

There can be no deeper faith than yours.

Whatever happens to me, please help me to cling to my faith in God, just as you did, even if I, too, feel completely abandoned.

Please help me always to remember God’s great and faithful promise:

I will never fail you. I will never abandon you (Hebrews 13:5; NLT).

I ask this through your own dear name.

Amen.

References

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

Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you (Deuteronomy 31:8; NLT).

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 staff they comfort me (Psalm 23:4; KJV).

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

Here, on earth

Ruth Kirk

There is one Savior, one faith, one baptism, one God and Creator of all, who is over all, who works through all and is within all (Ephesians 4:5-6; TIB).

Here, on earth,
In sun and rain;
Here, in beauty,
Joy, and pain;

Here, in life,
In good and bad;
Here, in all
That makes us sad;

Here, in every
Heart and soul,
Is God: the One
Who makes us whole.

He bruises, but He binds up; He wounds, but His hands make whole (Job 5:18; NKJV).

References

Will God really dwell on earth with humans? (2 Chronicles 6:18; NIV).

The Word was made flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14;  HNV).

 

Say, “Yes”, to God

Ruth Kirk

Once again, today’s prayer was given this morning, very soon after I started to pray. I’m wondering if this is becoming a new way forward for my blog? All I can do is to say, “Yes”, to God each time it happens.

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).

Say, “Yes”, to God
As Jesus did,
For God, alone,
Will help you through.

Say, “Yes”, to God
As Jesus did,
For God, alone,
Will comfort you.

Say, “Yes”, to God
As Jesus did,
For God, alone,
Will save your soul.

Say, “Yes”, to God
As Jesus did,
For God, alone,
Will make you whole.

He bruises, but He binds up; He wounds, but His hands make whole (Job 5:18; NKJV).

References

Does not the Most High send both calamity and good? (Lamentations 3:38; NLT).

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

He restores my soul (Psalm 23:3; NKJV).

Bad news!

Ruth Kirk

This blog has only just come to me, and I knew I had to post it as quickly as possible. I could work on it for hours, trying to improve it, but I need to accept it just as it arrived. I continue to pray for you all. With love from Ruth xxx

Does not the Most High send both calamity and good? (Lamentations 3:38; NLT).

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

Bad news! Calamity! Disaster!
A blow. A shock. A loss.
Grief. Distress. Despair.

Unfair! Unfortunate! Unmanageable!
Distressing. Exhausting. Annoying.
A trial. A challenge. An opportunity.

God will restore my soul!
Faith. Hope. Love.
Rejoicing. Prayer. Thanks.

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:16-16; NIV).

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

References

As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved (Genesis 43:14; NIV).

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).

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

He restores my soul (Psalm 23:3; NKJV).

We know that 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).

When you fall

Ruth Kirk

Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion (Isaiah 40:30; NLT).

The LORD upholds all who fall (Psalm 145:14; NKJV).

Let me catch you
When you fall.
Let me catch you,
One and all:
For my heart
Is full of love,
Streaming down
From heaven above.

Let me bear you
When you rise,
Far beyond
The eastern skies:
There you’ll live
In paradise,
Where all are one
With me, the Christ.

God never meant us to experience the Retribution, but to win salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that, alive or dead, we should still live united to him (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10; JB).

References

After I have gone and prepared you a place, I shall return to take you with me (John 14:1-6; JB).

In all their distress, He too was afflicted, and the Angel of His Presence saved them. In His love and compassion He redeemed them; He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old (Isaiah 63:9; BSB).

We who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever (1 Thessalonians 4:17; NLT).

I bear you on eagles’ wings, and bring you in unto Myself (Exodus 19:4; YLT).

Those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles (Isaiah 40:31; NKJV).

Go your way until the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days, you will rise again to receive the inheritance set aside for you (Daniel 12:13; NLT).

Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely (Psalm 63:7-8; NLT).

As the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes (Matthew 24:27; NLT).

 

Amidst my troubles

Ruth Kirk

I love you, LORD; you are my strength (Psalm 18:1; NLT).

I love you, God, amidst my troubles;
Trust in you amidst my pain;

Love you, God, amidst my struggles,
Giving thanks in loss and gain.

I love you, God: amidst my sorrows
Can I share your perfect peace?

Can I know your gentle presence?
Yes! Your mercies never cease!

The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease (Lamentations 3:22; NLT).

References

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world (John 16:33; NLT).

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 8:39; NIV).

 

What’s in store?

Ruth Kirk

No one really knows what is going to happen; no one can predict the future (Ecclesiastes 10:14; NLT).

What does our God
Have in store for us all?
Will it be happy,
Or sad?

Life is striving and gain;
Life is sickness and pain –
God sends all! God is great!
God is good!

What does our God
Have in store for us all?
Will it be blissful,
Or bad?

Life is triumph and loss;
Life is bearing our cross –
God sends all! God is kind!
God is love!

Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realise that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life (Ecclesiastes 7:14; NLT).

My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done (Matthew 26:42; NIV). 

God is love (1 John 4:8; NLT).

References

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

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

The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord (Job 1:21; CSB).

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

Only God is truly good (Luke 18:19; NLT).

How kind the LORD is! How good he is! So merciful, this God of ours! (Psalm 116:5; 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).

Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you (Isaiah 30:20; NLT).

Every person has been given a great deal of work to do. A heavy burden lies on all of us from the day of our birth until the day we go back to the earth, the mother of us all (Ben Sira 40:1; GNTA).

You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but you will restore me to life again (Psalm 71:20; NLT).

Whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:27; NLJV).

 

Face blindness: a message

Ruth Kirk

Despite, or perhaps partly because of, my newly-identified face blindness, I love whoever is in front of me, whether I recognise them or not. Now that I know I am face-blind, today’s blog encapsulates what I want to explain to those whose path I cross.

Acknowledging my face blindness openly, rather than hiding my lack of recognition, or faking recognition, is completely new for me. My hope is that this will make my life a lot less stressful than before.

Meanwhile, I take comfort from the fact that even Mary and the other disciples did not immediately recognise Jesus after his resurrection. God had a plan and a purpose for them, and also has a plan and a purpose for me, though I have no idea what it is. My face blindness is therefore not an accident, and God will bring good out of it for others, and perhaps even for me. As St. Paul writes: “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).

So here is today’s blog…

God kept them from recognizing him (Luke 24:16; NLT). 

Although I cannot recognise
Your face, please know: I care.

No matter who you are, I’d like
To listen, help, or share.

Although I can’t recall your name
I’m ready: fully here –

So I’ll be honest, as I face,
And overcome, my fear.

Speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15; NLT).

References

She turned around and saw Jesus standing there; but she did not recognize that it was Jesus (John 20:14; BSB).

Then the two told what had happened on the road, and how they had recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread (Luke 24:35; BSB).

Christ is all, and is in all (Colossians 3:11; NIV).

The King will reply, “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).

Love your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18; NKJV).

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

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

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

 

My prayers

Ruth Kirk

Since I have begun, let me speak further to my Lord, even though I am but dust and ashes (Genesis 18:27; NLT).

Though my prayers are not high-flown,
The only words I use: my own,
Yet, as I struggle, all alone:
You hear me.

Holy One, you won’t disown
My prayers, despite my heart of stone,
For you sent Jesus, to atone:
You see me.

Though my prayers are not full-blown,
You know each stifled sigh and groan,
And though I’m weak, just flesh and bone:
You love me!

He loves us with unfailing love; the LORD’s faithfulness endures forever. Praise the LORD! (Psalm 117:2; NLT).

References

I am nothing (Job 40:4; NLT).

He hears us (1 John 5:14; NLT). 

If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself (2 Timothy 2:13; NIV).

I groan; I sigh [in prayer], and my spirit grows faint (Psalm 77:3; AMP).

The LORD sees every heart and knows every plan and thought (1 Chronicles 28:9; NLT).

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26; NIV).

We have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins – and not only our sins but the sins of all the world (1 John 2:1-2; NLT).

You are the God who sees me (Genesis 16:13; NLT).

You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD (Psalm 139:4; NLT).

The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God (Romans 8:26-7; NIV).

My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God (Job 16:20; NIV).

He knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust (Psalm 103:14; NLT).