I had barely begun to pray last Sunday morning when these couplets came to me. They took several hours of concentrated work to put into words.
This happens more and more frequently. The first stage of writing takes so long that by the time it’s finished, I have missed out on the experience of wordless prayer. In fact, there is a constant, seemingly irresolvable tension between my longing to pray, and the drive to express in words what I am given, so it can be shared here.
All I can do is to echo the prophet’s words: “My work seems so useless! I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose. Yet I leave it all in the LORD’s hand; I will trust God for my reward” (Isaiah 49:4; NLT).
So now, here is today’s blog:
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).
I follow you, my only Lord:
My guide, my way, and my reward.
I honour you, my Shepherd King:
My strength; the truth to which I cling.
I thirst for you, my living God:
My breath, my life, my staff, my rod.
I trust in you, my light, my love:
My daily bread from heaven above.
I worship you, my Father’s voice:
My resurrection, and my choice.
Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying” (John 11:25; NLT).
Choose today whom you will serve (Joshua 24:15; NLT).
The Crucifixion Fra Angelico, Italian, ca. 1420–23, metmuseum.org.
Today’s blog came to me swiftly as I prayed before my icon of Christ yesterday morning:
They will look on the one they pierced.
(John 19:37; NLT).
1. I look on you:
The One we pierced –
The God who died,
And rose again.
2. I look on you:
The One who heals –
Who sets us free
From sin and pain.
3. I look on you:
The One who hears –
The God who listens
To our prayers.
4. I look on you:
The One who sees –
Who saves us, helps us,
Guides, and shares.
I will be with you in trouble.
(Psalm 91:15; TIB).
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,
who daily bears our burdens.
(Psalm 68:19; NIV).
References
Verse 1
Jesus died and rose again (1 Thessalonians 4:14; RSV).
Verse 2
I am the LORD who heals you (Exodus 15:26; NLT). He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin (Titus 2:14; NLT).
He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases (Psalm 103:3; NLT).
Verse 3
God hears (Genesis 16:11; NLT). He listens (John 9:31; NLT).
Verse 4 You are the God who sees me (Genesis 16:13; NLT).
Our God is a God who saves (Psalm 68:20; NIV).
He helps me (Psalm 28:7; NLT).
He guides me along right paths (Psalm 23:3; NLT).
In all their suffering he also suffered (Isaiah 63:9; NLT).
Give your burdens to the LORD and he will take care of you (Psalm 55:22; NLT).
While I was praying without words, today’s verses simply arose from the silence, though nothing could have been further from my mind than writing a blog.
NB: For those who are interested, there is some brief Rosary Hospital news below the references.
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
(John 1:36; NKJV).
1. Christ, our Lamb,
And Christ, our dove;
Christ, our lion:
You are love;
2. Christ, our bread,
And Christ, our wine;
Christ, our Word,
And fruitful vine.
3. Christ, our way, Our truth, our life;
Christ our Saviour:
You are light;
4. Christ, our King,
Our staff, our rod;
Our resurrection,
And our God.
“My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.
(John 20:28; NLT).
References
Verse 1 The Holy Spirit, in bodily form descended on him like a dove (Luke 3:22; NLT).
The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne, has won the victory (Revelation 5:5; NLT).
God is love (1 John 4:8; NIV).
Verse 2 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35; NLT).
He took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood” (Matthew 26:27-8; NLT).
His name is the Word of God (Revelation 19:13; NIV).
I am the vine (John 15:5; NLT).
Verse 3 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6; NLT).
He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior (Titus 3:6; NLT).
I am the light of the world (John 8:12; NLT).
Verse 4 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS (Revelation 19:16; NIV).
Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me (Psalm 23:4; NLT).
Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection” (John 11:25; NLT).
The name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 1:12; NLT).
The Rosary Hospital
This is a special order, five-decade rosary I made yesterday, and finished today. It’s all packed up now, ready to be posted next Tuesday, God willing.
Seeing this prayer in my mind and heart brought a gentle end to a wonderful time of light, silence and peace last Sunday. Writing and referencing it was a labour of love.
The Lord is peace (Judges 6:24; NLT).
1. You are peace, and you are love,
On earth, below, in heaven above.
You are fire, and bread, and wine,
Our narrow way, our living vine.
2. You are pity, Shepherd King,
You shield us all beneath your wing.
You are Spirit, truth and light,
The resurrection, and the life.
3. You are Christ, our staff and rod,
So kind, so good, our Lord and God.
Teacher, you forgive and bless,
For you are strength, and tenderness.
4. Yahweh, Holy Ghost, and Son,
The One in Three, the Three in One,
Our faith, our hope, our soul, our call: You are God, our All in all.
God will be all in all (1 Corinthians 15:28; TIB).
References
Verse 1 God is love (1 John 4:8; NLT).
The Lord your God is a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24; NIV).
I am the living bread that came down from from heaven (John 6:51; NLT).
Jesus told him, “I am the way” (John 14:6; NLT).
I am the vine (John 15:5; NLT).
Verse 2 Yahweh is …pity (Psalm 103:8; NJB).
I am the good shepherd (John 10:11; NLT).
You are my King and my God! (Psalm 44:4; NLT).
I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings (Psalm 57:1; NLT).
The LORD God is our sun and our shield (Psalm 84:11; NLT). |
God is Spirit (John 4:24; NLT).
The Spirit is truth (1 John 5:6; NKJV).
God is light (1 John 1:5; NLT).
Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25; NLT).
Verse 3 Jesus is the Christ (1 John 5:1; NLT).
Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me (Psalm 23:4; NLT).
How kind the LORD is! How good he is! (Psalm 116:5; NLT).
“My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed (John 20:28; NLT).
You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am (John 13:13; NLT).
He forgives all my sins (Psalm 103:3; NLT).
How he blesses them! (Psalm 107:38; NLT).
The Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength (Isaiah 26:4; KJV).
Yahweh is tenderness (Psalm 103:8; NJB).
Verse 4 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost (Matthew 28:19; KJV).
The LORD our God, the LORD is one (Deuteronomy 6:4; NIV).
Three things will last forever – faith, hope, and love (1 Corinthians 13:13; NLT).
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).
We keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call (2 Thessalonians 1:11; NLT).
You are our God! (Hosea 2:23; NLT).
Context: This prayer arrived very early one blessed Sunday morning. I chose it to share with you today after my priest visited me with home communion yesterday:
Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered (Hebrews 5:8; NLT).
I want your will to be done, not mine (Luke 22:42; NLT).
Like Jesus, I suffer,
Like Jesus, I yield;
Like him, I am wounded,
Like him, I’ll be healed.
Like Jesus, I bear it,
Like Jesus, I cry;
Like him, I submit,
And, like him, I will die.
For he’s my example,
My way, and my shrine;
My Priest and my Saviour,
My bread and my wine.
Like him, I will perish,
Like him, rise again –
So, with Christ as my goal,
I will not live in vain.
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58; CSB).
References
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).
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, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead! I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting thepast 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 3:10-14; NLT).
I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church (Colossians 1:24; NLT).
I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14; CSB).
We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28; GNT).
“Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:22-4; NLT).
Father, You bring good from bad,
And peace from every fear we have;
Truth from lies,
And gain from loss –
Help us to overcome our unbelief.
Father,
You bring light from dark.
For growth from pain, you hit the mark;
Love from hate,
And faith from doubt –
Bring gain from all our troubles, Great High Priest.
Father,
You bring life from death,
And comfort from each final breath;
Hope from grief, And joy from woe –
Your resurrection, Lord our God, is sweet.
Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying” (John 11:25; NLT).
He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies (Psalm 103:2-4; NLT).
The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favour with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High” (Luke 1:30-32; NIV).
1. Lord, may you be born again
Within my heart today,
Then I’ll always walk with you – My life, my truth, my way.
2. May you dwell there, full of grace, And teach me to do good,
Then I’ll grow much more like you – In faith, and hope, and love.
3. May I share your grief and pain
Within my heart each day,
Then I’ll suffer at your side – And watch, and wait, and pray.
4. Buried in my willing heart,
Then resurrected there, May we always live as one – In joy, and thanks, and prayer.
Not for deeds that we had done, but by his steadfast love alone, he saved us through a second birth, renewed us by the Spirit’s work, and poured him out upon us, too (Titus 3:5-6; ISV).
References
1. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn (Luke 2:4; KJV).
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6; NLT).
2. The child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him (Luke 2:40; NIV).
Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us (Colossians 3:11; NLT).
All of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord – who is the Spirit – makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image (2 Corinthians 3:18; NLT).
Three things will last forever – faith, hope, and love – and the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13; NLT).
3. Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons,James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me” (Matthew 26:36-8; NLT).
If we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering (Romans 8:17; NLT).
4. The place of crucifixion was near a garden, where there was a new tomb, never used before. And so, because it was the day of preparation for the Jewish Passover and since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there (John 19:41-2; NLT).
Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed – for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead (John 20:8; NLT)
Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying” (John 11:25; NLT).
I am with you every day, even unto the end of time (Matthew 28:20; ABPE).
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).
Whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17; NIV).
You are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28; NLT).
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; NLT).
He went on a little further and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! 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).
I see you praying
All alone:
Begging God
To spare your life.
I see you dying
All alone:
The perfect, spotless
Sacrifice.
I see you lying
All alone:
Your triumph over sin
Complete.
I see you rising
All alone:
I run to you,
And kiss your feet.
💙
They ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshipped him. (Matthew 28:9; NLT).
They ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshipped him (Matthew 28:9; NLT).
May I run to you, as well, And grasp your feet,
For you are here.
May I never let you go, Worshipping with joy,
And fear.
May I, too,
Tell all the world About your perfect sacrifice,
And that you’re with us evermore, Lord God,
Our pearl
Beyond all price.
🧡
The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he found one priceless pearl, he went and sold everything he had and bought it
(Matthew 13:45-6; CSB).
References
Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.
The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message. And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there” (Matthew 28: 5-10; NLT).
Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20; NLT).
“My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed (John 20:28; NLT).
