Category: spirit

These words

Ruth Kirk

These words you hear are not my own;
they belong to the Father who sent me
(John 14:24; NIV).

1. Your kingdom come:
These words give hope,
Reviving my weak faith.

2. Deliver us:
These words speak truth;
They show me you are great.

3. Forgive our sins:
These words grant peace;
Your pardon makes me whole.

4. As we forgive:
These words pledge rest
To my poor mind and soul.

5. Your will be done:
These words bring calm
To my last days on earth.

6. For evermore:
My spirit flies
To you, who gave me birth.

References

1. May your kingdom come soon (Luke 11:2; NLT).

2. Deliver us from evil (Matthew 6:13; KJV).

3. Forgive us our sins… (Matthew 6:12; NLT).

4. …as we have forgiven those who sin against us (Matthew 6:13; NLT).

5. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10; NLT).

6. Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever (Matthew 6:13; NKJV).

Into your hands I commit my spirit (Psalm 31:5; NIV).

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

Damaged (#1 of 2 linked prayers)

Ruth Kirk
Image: PublicDomainPictures

If the Son sets you free, you are truly free
(John 8:36; NLT).

1. Lord,
You live in every damaged body;
Every wounded, fragile, anxious mind.

2. Lord,
You live in every injured spirit;
Every broken heart, and those confined.

3. Lord,
You want to heal each mind and body,
Giving us new life, for you are kind.

4. Lord,
You want to set free every spirit,
And every broken heart you want to bind.

Image: lechenie-narkomanii

References

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

The Spirit of God lives in you (1 Corinthians 3:16; NLT).

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

2. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise (Psalm 51:17; NIV).

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds (Psalm 147:3; NIV).

3. A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,” he said. Move with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” Mark 1:41; NLT).

Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God (1 Peter 1:23; NLT).

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

4. He will give you another Advocate [Comforter, Encourager, Counsellor], who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth (John 14:16-17; NLT).

The Lord has anointed me to proclaim the good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners (Isaiah 61:1; NIV).

Image: Alexas_Fotos

When I wake

Ruth Kirk

I know that the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me (Psalm 16:8; NLT).

1. When I wake, Lord,
You are with me.
When I pray
We join as one.

2. When I walk
You go with me
In rain, or storm,
Or summer sun.

3. When I serve,
We work together.
When I’m sick,
You share my pain.

4. When I sleep,
You rest beside me
Till we rise
To start again.

5. Lord, in danger,
You are with me,
Guarding me
With staff and rod;

6. And, in death,
You’ll still be here,
To guide my spirit
Back to God.

References

1. When I wake up, you are still with me (Psalm 139:18; NLT).

Whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17; NIV).

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

3. The Lord worked with them (Mark 16:20; NIV).

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

4. Then Jesus said, “Come to me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28-30; NLT).

In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe (Psalm 4:8; NLT).

5. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you (Isaiah 43:2; NLT).

You are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me (Psalm 23:4; NLT).

6. Even when I walk through the dark valley of death, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me (Psalm 23:4; NLT, alternative translation).

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

Photo acknowledgement: Lucy Chian

 

All I need to do

Ruth Kirk

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7; NIV).

1. All I need to do, Lord,
Is to seek you.

2. All I need to do
Is ask the way.

3. All I need to do, Lord,
Is to knock on my soul’s door,

4. Until you throw it open,
Every day.

5. For you are waiting there, Lord,
Always present,

6. Just to hear me say:
Forgive my sin.

7. Then we reunite, Lord,
As one spirit,

8. And dwell in love together,
Deep within.

References

1. Keep on seeking, and you will find (Matthew 7:7; NLT).

If you seek him, you will find him (1 Chronicles 28:9; NLT).

2. Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for (Matthew 7:7; NLT).

Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it (Jeremiah 6:16; NLT).

3. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7; NLT).

4. Never stop praying (1 Thessalonians 5:16; NLT).

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

6. Forgive us our sins as we have forgiven those who sin against us (Matthew 6:12; NLT).

7. I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one (John 17:22; NLT).

8. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them (1 John 4:16).

When I die

Ruth Kirk

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me.
(Psalm 23:4; KJV).

1. When I die,
I’ll leave behind this body.

2. When I die,
These thoughts will simply cease.

3. When I die,
This heart will beat no more, Lord,

4. But my spirit, which is you,
Will rest in peace.

References

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

2. How frail is humanity! How short is life, how full of trouble! We blossom like a flower and then wither. Like a passing shadow, we quickly disappear (Job 14:1-2; NLT).

3. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted within me (Psalm 22:14; NIV).

4. There is a spirit within people, the breath of the Almighty within them (Job 32:8; NLT).

God is Spirit (John 4:24; NLT).

We all share the same Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13; NLT).

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

Those who follow godly paths will rest in peace when they die (Isaiah 57:2; NLT).

Contemplation

Ruth Kirk

I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love
(Romans 8:38; NLT).

1. To contemplation, Lord,
I bring my body –
My weakness, tiredness,
Restlessness and pain.

2. To contemplation, Lord,
I bring my thinking –
My hidden judgements,
Envy and disdain.

3. To contemplation, Lord,
I bring my feelings –
My sorrow, longing,
Anger, guilt, and fear.

4. To contemplation, Lord,
I bring my spirit –
My faith, and hope, and love,
For you are here.

References

1. The flesh is weak (Mark 14:38; NIV).

2. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away (Psalm 139:2; NLT).

3. The Lord looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7; NIV).

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

God is with us (Matthew 1:23; NLT).

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me (Psalm 23:4; KJV).

From earth to infinity

Ruth Kirk

1. From earth, Lord, to infinity
We all return, one day.

2. From suffering to perfect health
Our spirits fly away.

3. From wretchedness to happiness
Our souls, at last, will come

4. From death to immortality,
When our race has been run.

5. Yet all this can be ours in life:
Your kingdom is so near –

6. A prayer, kind word, or action
And your kingdom, Lord, is here.

7. Then we will live in heaven on earth,
Released from fear and sin,

8. United in our love, Lord,
For your kingdom is within!

References

1. Return, O my soul, to your rest (Psalm 116:7: ESV).

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

3. Come and share your master’s happiness! (Matthew 25:21; NIV).

4. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honour and immortality, he will give eternal life (Romans 2:7; NIV).
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful (2 Timothy 4:7; NLT).

5. Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven (Philippians 1:27; NLT).
The Kingdom of God is near (Luke 10:11; NLT).

6. Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them (Romans 12:9; NLT).
The Kingdom of God is already among you (Luke 17:21; NLT).

7. Perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18; NKJV).
He gave his life to free us from from every kind of sin (Titus 2:14; NLT).

8. Whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17; NIV).
The kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21; NKJV).