Today’s prayer arrived when I was still and silent. I didn’t move, or even try to remember it at the time, but afterwards, to my great surprise, I was able to write it down. This has never happened before, so I was truly grateful.
What great nation has a god as near to them as the LORD our God is near to us whenever we call on him? (Deuteronomy 4:7; NLT).
Don’t strive for God
In prayer,
For He is near,
Sharing every longing,
Loss,
And tear;
Bearing all our pain,
And grief,
And fear:
Beside us,
And within – Alreadyhere.
The LORD is here! (Genesis 28:16; GNT).
References
Nothing can ever separate us from God’s love (Romans 8:38; NLT).
In all their suffering he also suffered, and he personally rescued them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them. He lifted them up and carried them through all the years (Isaiah 63:9; NLT).
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens (Psalm 68:19; NIV).
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).
God is with us (Matthew 1:23: NLT).
There is …one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all (Ephesians 4:5-6; NLT).
We are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people” (2 Corinthians 6:16; NLT).
Whilst praying a few day ago, these little verses came into my mind. I had to write them down immediately, or they would have slipped away as if they had never existed.
Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge (Psalm 62:8; NLT).
Pour out your heart:
Concealment is vain.
Tell God the truth,
For He shares your pain.
Pour out your heart:
Say all that you will.
Tell God the truth,
For He loves you still.
He loves us with unfailing love (Psalm 117:2; NLT).
References
He knows the secrets of every heart (Psalm 44:21; NLT).
You desire honesty from the womb (Psalm 51:6; NLT).
In all their suffering he also suffered (Isaiah 63:9; NLT).
Pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done (Philippians 4:6; NLT).
Crowds gather as Christ heals the sick. Lithograph after Benjamin West, Wickimedia.
Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world (John 16:33; NLT).
Last Sunday, whilst I was praying without words, I saw that my suffering is a lifelong healing process from which I have much to learn.
One step at a time, God helps me to move forward by working through this healing process in response to my symptoms.
My first task is to develop ever deeper insight into the underlying causes of my physical, emotional and spiritual suffering.
My second task is to ask God to give me the faith and personal maturity needed to endure my suffering in emotionally and spiritually healthy ways.
Although this kind of healing is a painful, ongoing, spiritual process, God brings good from it along the way. It will be complete at my death, when I will have gone as far as I can manage.
Meanwhile, I’m also learning to trust that God won’t let me be tried beyond what I can endure, which gives me renewed hope.
No trial has overtaken you that is not faced by others. And God is faithful: He will not let you be tried beyond what you are able to bear, but with the trial will also provide a way out so that you may be able to endure it (1 Corinthians 10:13; NET).
References
My grief is beyond healing; my heart is broken (Jeremiah 8:18; NLT).
There they are, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to dread (Psalm 53:5; NIV).
Your wound is as deep as the sea. Who can heal you? (Lamentations 2:13; NLT).
God willing, we will move forward to further understanding (Hebrews 6:3; NLT).
Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible” (Matthew 19:26; NLT).
I am the LORD who heals you (Exodus 15:26; CSB).
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).
A reading: Romans 5:1-4; ESV.
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.
Happy Easter to you all. This prayer came to me yesterday morning. I jotted it down quickly, but it took 24 hours to put into words!
He loves us with unfailing love (Psalm 117:2; NLT).
Lord,
Despite my sins and flaws, Despite my greed and selfishness, You help me, and forgive,
Because you love me.
Lord,
Despite my fears and griefs,
Despite my pain and suffering, I trust you and rejoice,
Because I love you.
Lord,
Despite the times I fail,
Despite the many wrongs I’ve done,
We’re joined in spirit, evermore,
As one.
The person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him (1 Corinthians 6:17; NLT).
References
Trust in God, and trust also in me (John 14:1; NLT).
Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows (John 16:33; NLT).
The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord (Job 1:21; CSB).
Rejoice always (1 Thessalonians 5:16; NIV)
I love you (Psalm 18:1; NLT).
He forgives all my sins (Psalm 103:3; NLT).
God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin (1 Corinthians 1:30; 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).
I want to follow Christ In every thought,
Through gain and loss
To serve him as I ought,
And always keep on praying,
As he taught –
For he is all to me,
Though I am naught.
I want to follow Christ In all I say,
Through weakness, sin and failure,
Come what may,
And always keep on thanking him
Each day –
For Jesus is my life, my truth,
My way.
I want to follow Christ In all I do,
Through grief, and pain and sorrow,
Sickness, too,
By sharing in the suffering
He knew –
For all he preached and promised us Is true.
All who believe in the Son of God know in their hearts that this testimony is true (1 John 5:10; NLT).
I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true (John 18:37; NLT).
References
We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5; NIV).
The LORD gives, and the LORD takes away. Blessed be the name of the LORD (Job 1:21; CSB).
May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10; NLT).
I am nothing (Job 40:4; NLT).
Speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ (Ephesians 4:15; NLT).
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18; NIV).
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6; NLT).
Since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering (Romans 8:17; NLT).
Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies (2 Corinthians 4:10; NLT).
The Rosary Hospital
Today I am full of rejoicing, because I’ve been given a steady outlet for my rosaries. Please celebrate this with me!
Today’s prayer arrived when I was washing my face last Wednesday morning. I had to remember it until I could dry my hands and scribble it down!
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me (John 6:44; NLT).
Draw me into your hands, Lord,
So I can touch your wounds.
Draw me into your side, Lord,
So I can feel your pain.
Draw me into your heart, Lord,
So I can share your grief.
Draw me into your soul, Lord,
Making us one, again.
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).
References
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side” (John 20:27; NLT).
Our lives are in his hands (Deuteronomy 33:3; NLT).
Because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires (2 Peter 1:4; NLT).
The dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7; NIV).
Over the last week, prayer has become more and more difficult for me. I can repeat a few set prayers and offer brief intercessions and thanks, but my mind, heart and soul feel empty, and I am deeply weary.
So much has happened (and continues to happen), to my family, to others near and far, and to me, that I have few emotions left, and little sense of God’s presence. Overstretched and worn out, I’m unable to respond fully to fresh events. However, suffering continues actively, both for others and for myself, so I must continue to face it and live with it, until I start to feel again.
He awakes, and his soul is still empty (Isaiah 29:8; NKJV).
I’ve hardly prayed these past few days.
I’ve scarcely praised at all.
O Holy Spirit, help me, please,
And listen to my call.
I’ve hardly prayed these last few days.
My words are only dust.
O Holy Spirit, help me
To receive God’s love with trust.
I cannot sleep; nor can I write.
My mind is bare and dry.
Please stir my heart and soul,
So I can hear your gentle sigh.
I cannot work; nor can I rest. My mind is full of pain.
Please heal my heart and soul,
So I can hear your voice again.
“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the LORD told him. And as Elijah stood there, the LORD passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:11-12; NLT).
References
Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat. So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone. But many people recognized them and saw them leaving, and people from many towns ran ahead along the shore and got there ahead of them (Mark 6:30-33; NLT).
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30; KJV).
Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong (Ephesians 3L17; NLT).
Lord, be merciful to me; heal my soul (Psalm 41:4; NKJV).
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26; BSB).
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 (Romans 8:26; AMP).
