Category: Pray

Contemplation

Ruth Kirk

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 4:16; NLT).

Contemplation, Yahweh God,
Is waiting in your love;
It’s sharing in your love,
And praying in your love.

Contemplation, Son of Man,
Is walking in your love;
It’s serving in your love,
And resting in your love.

Contemplation, Holy Ghost,
Is dancing in your love;
It’s sighing in your love,
And weeping in your love.

Contemplation, Elohim,
Is living in your love;
It’s fading in your love,
And dying in your love.

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

 

God’s will (with thanks to A.H.)

Ruth Kirk

Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel left her (Luke 1:38; AMP).

I pray to you, O Holy One,
As Mary did, so long ago:
May it be done to me, my God,
According to your word.

I beg of you, O Holy One,
As Jesus did, so long ago:
Please take this cup away, and yet
Your will be done, not mine.

I cling to you, O Holy One,
With mind and heart; soul, flesh, and blood:
For you’re my way, my truth, my life;
My faith; my hope; my love.

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

References

The high and lofty one who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this: “I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts” (Isaiah 57:15; NLT).

Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine (Luke 22:42; NLT).

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

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).

 

Beyond the church

Ruth Kirk

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

If you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him (Deuteronomy 4:29; NLT).

Beyond the fringes
Of the church,
I long for you, my God,
And search.

Yet, my Beloved,
You are here
In all my darkness, grief,
And fear.

I cannot glimpse
Your face today,
Or hear your voice,
Or find your way

At all; but Lord,
For help I plead:
Though I can’t see you,
I believe!

He [Jesus] said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed. Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me” (John 20:27-9; NLT).

References

She touched the fringe of his robe, for she thought, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed” (Matthew 9:20-21; NLT).

I will save the lame and gather the outcasts (Zephaniah 3:19; CSB).

My beloved is mine and I am his (Song of Songs 2:16; NIV).

I searched for him but could not find him anywhere. I called to him, but there was no reply (Song of Songs 5:6; NLT).

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! (Habakkuk 3:17-18; NLT).

 

Waiting together

Ruth Kirk

A few days ago, I saw that whilst we are waiting for God during contemplation, God is also waiting for us. This means that even waiting is a shared experience, although we may feel completely alone.

We tend to dip in and out of experiencing our oneness with God, but for God oneness with us is constant. As we build our relationship with God over the years, we can slowly grasp that no matter how alone we feel, we are still always one with God. This is faith. As Saint Paul states, “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see” (Hebrews 11:1; NLT). Jesus said this first, when he taught, “Blessed are those who believe without seeing me” (John 20:29; NLT).

Christ himself experienced this paradoxical oneness at first hand on the cross. Despite crying out in despair, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Mark 15:34; NLT), he still prayed with complete faith, “Into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46; NIV), before taking his final breath.

In the light of these thoughts, here is today’s blog:

Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act (Psalm 37:7; NLT).

Be still and silent;
Do not pray:
Here, in darkness,
Wait for God.

When your thoughts
And feelings stray:
Let them go –
Just wait for God.

S/He is with you
All the way:
Whilst waiting,
You’re alone with God.

There’s nothing
That you need to say:
To wait is to be one
With God.

The LORD must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the LORD is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help (Isaiah 30:18; NLT).

References

Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD (Psalm 27:14; NLT).

Come close to God, and God will come close to you (James 4:8; NLT).

The LORD is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him (Habakkuk 2:20; NLT).

We are the temple of the Living God (2 Corinthians 6:16; NIV).

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

The LORD is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it! (Genesis 28:16; 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 thy staff they comfort me (Psalm 23;4; KJV).

 

Peace

Ruth Kirk

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God (Matthew 5:9; NIV).

Pray for peace (Psalm 122:6; NLT).

I pray for the end
Of hate and fear;

I pray for the end
Of pain and grief;

I pray for the end
Of greed and war –

So peace will reign
For evermore.

Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it (Psalm 34:14; NIV).

He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever (Revelation 21:4; NLT).

References

I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid (John 14:27; NLT).

Oh, that you had listened to my commands! Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river and righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea (Isaiah 48:18; NLT).

The Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes (Revelation 7:17; NLT).

 

Love

Ruth Kirk

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

I love you,
So I dance before you;
Love you,
So I follow you;

Love you,
So I walk beside you;
Love you,
So I praise you too;

Love you,
So I try to serve you;
Love you,
So I pray, each day;

Love you,
So I live within you;
Love you,
So I choose your way.

Choose life! (Deuteronomy 30:19; NLT).

God’s way is perfect (2 Samuel 22:31; NLT).

References

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).

God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them (1 John 4:16; NLT).

 

I’m nothing

Ruth Kirk

I am nothing at all (2 Corinthians 12:11; NLT).

I’m nothing,
Yet I love you, Lord;
I’m nothing,
Yet I sing.

I’m nothing,
Yet I follow you;
I’m nothing,
Yet I cling.

I’m nothing,
Yet I bear my cross;
I’m nothing,
Yet I pray.

I’m nothing,
Yet, my Lord, you are
My life, my truth,
My way.

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).

References

What is the price of five sparrows – two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them (Luke 12:6; NLT).

I am nothing but dust and ashes (Genesis 18:27; NIV).

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

I sing praise to you (Psalm 59:17; NIV).

I cling to you (Psalm 63:8; NIV).

Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34; NLT).

 

A secret cave

Ruth Kirk

When you pray, go into your most private room, close the door and pray to your Father who is in secret (Matthew 6:6; AMP). 

Prayer can be
A secret cave,
A quiet chat,
A tidal wave.

Prayer can be
An honest glance,
A flood of grief,
A joyful dance.

Prayer can be
A worry faced,
A bitter cup,
A trackless waste.

Prayer can be
A silent tomb,
An empty shrine,
God’s sacred womb.

Who held back the sea behind partitions when it burst forth from my womb? (Job 38:8; TIB).

Will I, who causes others to give birth, not also give birth myself, says the Lord? Will I, who bestows generation upon others, be barren myself, says the Lord your God? (Isaiah 66:9; CPDV).

 

Pray in silence

Ruth Kirk

There are two versions of today’s blog. The first is for when we desperately need to pray for ourselves, yet find it impossible to pray at all. This is a very common problem, and can be terribly distressing.

The second version is for when we feel desperate about the state of our world, yet are completely overwhelmed by the scale of suffering we and others cause for those less powerful than ourselves.

Version 1

Pray about everything. Tell God what you need (Philippians 4:6; NLT).

Be silent before the LORD, all humanity (Zechariah 2:13; NLT).

Pray in silence; pray in stillness;
Pray in darkness; pray alone.

Ask the Holy Ghost to help you –
God will hear each sigh and groan.

Even if you cannot pray at all,
S/He knows you – mind, heart, soul,

And will pray on your behalf,
By asking God to make you whole.

Heal me, Lord (Psalm 6:2; NLT).

Version 2

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf (1 Timothy 2:1; NLT). 

Be silent before the LORD, all humanity (Zechariah 2:13; NLT).

Pray in silence; pray in stillness;
Pray in darkness; pray alone.

Ask the Holy Ghost to help you –
God will hear each sigh and groan.

Even if you cannot pray at all,
S/He knows you – mind, heart, soul –

S/He will pray on your behalf,
For all the world to be made whole.

He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us (Hosea 6:1; NIV). 

Reference

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. And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose (Romans 8:26-8; AMP).