Category: Sorrow

Judgement day

Ruth Kirk

We must all stand before Christ to be judged (2 Corinthians 5:10; NLT).

O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me (Psalm 139:1; NLT). 

There is a sense in which every day is judgement day, because we all stand before Christ whenever we pray, and he already knows everything about us.

Seeing him face to face is like looking into a mirror. Through his eyes we see with perfect clarity the truth about ourselves, and about all we think, say, do and feel.

All we can do is to acknowledge our sins with complete openness and honesty, telling him how sorry we are.

Then, we receive God’s mercy and forgiveness, for which we give thanks.

Lastly, we can move forward again, leaving our guilt behind. Having been renewed, we are ready to start again, clinging tightly, as always, to God’s love, help and support.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9; NIV).

References

We shall see face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12; NIV).

Before a word is on my tongue, you, LORD, know it completely (Psalm 139:4; NIV).

Anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matthew 5:28; NLT).

He forgives all my sins (Psalm 103:3; NLT).

He restoreth my soul (Psalm 23:3; KJV).

 

Our safety-net

Ruth Kirk

He helps me (Psalm 28:7; NLT).

God is ready to help us all, at every moment:

  • With every task, however great or small
  • With everything we suffer – physically, mentally, spiritually, and in all other ways
  • With everything we face, experience, think, do, say, feel, suffer, and endure

All we have to do is to turn to God, and ask for support.

Sometimes we don’t want to, or cannot, engage with God. Despite this, God’s hands remain as a safety-net beneath us.

When we can no longer cope with life, we fall into God’s safety-net. Yet God is always present, waiting to catch and hold us every time we fall.

Lastly, God is always here to save us in death, too, for when we have to let go of life, we fall straight into God’s arms:

The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you (Deuteronomy 33:27; NLT).

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

References

The LORD must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion (Isaiah 30:18; NLT).

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

 

Christ within

Ruth Kirk

Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us (Colossians 3:11; NLT).

Christ in my body,
And Christ in my thinking;
Christ in my speaking,
And Christ in my soul;

Christ in my actions,
And Christ in my gladness;
Christ in my sorrows:
My pattern, my goal;

Christ in my living,
And Christ in my dying:
This is my pathway
To being made whole.

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

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

 

Prayer

Ruth Kirk

What can we bring to the Lord? (Micah 6:6; NLT).

To pray
Is to bring every terror,
And face it with God.

To pray
Is to bring every sorrow,
And grieve it with God.

To pray
Is to bring every sickness,
And share it with God.

To pray
Is to bring every burden,
And bear it with God.

In all their suffering he also suffered (Isaiah 63:9; NLT).

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

References

Pray about everything (Philippians 4:6; NLT).

Pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17; NIV).

 

Time

Ruth Kirk

Time is running out (Romans 13:11; NLT).

The “right time” is now (2 Corinthians 6:2; NLT).

How strange time is –
It’s always now.

How odd space is –
We’re always here.

How great love is –
Too deep to grasp.

How rich our days –
With God so near.

How hard life is –
Yet still we try.

How short life is –
For all must die.

All of us must die eventually. Our lives are like water spilled out on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God does not just sweep life away; instead, he devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him (2 Samuel 14:14; NLT).

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

 

Together

Ruth Kirk

Behold, I am with you every day, even unto the end of time (Matthew 28:20; ABPE).

We serve together, me and you:
Your Spirit fosters all we do.

We pray together, you and I:
Your Spirit hears each word and sigh.

We walk together, me and you:
Your Spirit shares our sorrows, too.

We live together, you and I:
Your Spirit suffers when we cry.

We fail together, me and you:
Your Spirit always helps us through.

We die together, you and I:
At One with God, our Lord on high.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me (Psalm 23:4; NKJV).

References

The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And 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 8:26-8; NLT).

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).

 

Silence

Ruth Kirk

There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all (Ephesians 4:5-6; NLT).

Lord,
You’re in our silence,
And our stillness;

Lord,
You’re in our music,
And our dance;

Lord,
You’re in our loneliness,
And darkness –

Here, in all:
There’s no such thing
As ‘chance’.

I create the light and make the darkness. I send good times and bad times. I, the LORD, am the one who does these things (Isaiah 45:7; NLT).

 

Peace and justice

Ruth Kirk

They have not known the path of peace, and there is no justice in their ways (Isaiah 59:8; CSB).

I pray for peace and justice,
Here, in every mind on earth;

For sorrow, and repentance,
Here, in every heart on earth;

For mercy and forgiveness,
Here, in every soul on earth;

For truth and reparation,
Here, in every place on earth;

For reconciliation,
Here, and love of all, on earth.

To you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you (Luke 6:27; NLT).

 

Cling to Christ

Ruth Kirk

Darkness is my closest friend (Psalm 88:18; NLT).

When your life
Is full of care,
Far beyond
What you can bear –

When your days
Are full of pain,
As your heart
Breaks, yet again –

When your nights
Are drenched with tears,
And your mind
Is wracked by fears –

Cling to Christ:
Your soul will soar,
Till nothing matters
Any more.

Those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31; NLT).

References

Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us (Colossians 3:11; NLT).

Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28; NLT).

 

Light my darkness (for R.M.)

Ruth Kirk

He makes darkness His secret place (Psalm 18:11; LSV).

Jesus,
Light my darkness;

Yahweh,
Take my hand;

Spirit,
Fill my emptiness:

Make me
Your Promised Land.

We are the temple of the living God (2 Corinthians 6:16; NLT).

References

Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word (Luke 1:38; KJV).

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 26:37-8; NLT).

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).

Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light (Micah 7:8; NLT).