Yesterday morning I laid in silence for a long time, seeking God before beginning to pray. Suddenly, I experienced God’s presence, then, instantly, today’s prayer began to arrive. All I had to do was to write it down as it flowed, line by line, without a moment’s hesitation. This was a very rare gift for which I was truly grateful, as I am so weary.
Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.
Exodus 20:21; NLT.
I seek you in darkness,
In silence,
In stillness;
I seek you in loneliness,
Sorrow, And fear;
I seek you in nature,
In beauty,
In others;
I seek you in suffering:
Lord, You are here.
Jacob woke up and said, “The LORD is here!
He is in this place, and I didn’t know it!” Genesis 28:16; GNT.
A few days ago I experienced a precious time of wordless prayer, with these verses only emerging right at the end, which was a huge relief. They were relatively easy to put into words. The final two lines came to me whilst I was showering, so I had to repeat them constantly until I got out and wrote them down.
Hear my prayer, Lord (Psalm 102:1; NIV).
1. Yahweh, Jesus, Holy Spirit,
Hear my prayer, and come to me.
Help me, Lord, to worship you
In blesséd stillness, silently.
2. Yahweh, Jesus, Holy Spirit,
Pity my ineptitude.
Pray on my behalf, I beg you,
As I wait in solitude.
3. Yahweh, Jesus, Holy Spirit,
Here I am, Lord: hear my cry.
Help me to embrace my cross
And follow you, Adonai.
4. Yahweh, Jesus, Holy Spirit,
I am yours in servitude.
Set me free to walk with you
In love, and joy, and gratitude.
Walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God (Ephesians 5:2; CSB).
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; NIV).
References
Verse 1: *I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you (John 14:18; NIV).
*Be still, and know that I am God! (Psalm 46:10; NLT).
*Be silent before the LORD, all humanity (Zechariah 2:13; NLT).
Verse 2: *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).
*He is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf (Hebrews 7:25; NLT).
*For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my deliverance and my honor; my mighty rock, my refuge is God (Psalm 62:5-7; RSV).
*Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD (Psalm 27:14; NIV).
*Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed (Mark 1:35; NIV).
Verse 3: *Here I am (1 Samuel 3:5; NIV).
*In your faithful love, O LORD, hear my cry (Psalm 119:149; 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 your will to be done, not mine (Luke 22:42; NLT).
Verse 4: *I am yours (Psalm 119:94; NLT).
*O LORD God, I am your servant (2 Samuel 7:25; NLT).
*Although we are slaves, our God has not abandoned us in our servitude (Ezra 9:9; NET).
*Turn your ear to listen to me, and set me free (Psalm 71:2; NLT).
The Supper at Emmaus, by Velázquez, 1622-23: metmuseum.org.
Today, I’ve dipped into my storehouse for this, one of my favourite poems:
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.
(Psalm 37:7; NIV).
When I lift my mind in stillness, Lord, I feel your Spirit stir;
When I lift my heart in darkness,
Lord, I see your perfect light;
When I lift my soul in silence, Lord, I hear your still, small voice –
And I recognise your presence: Then, with thanks, Lord, I rejoice.
Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him. (Luke 24:31; NIV).
Rosary Hospital news
My old five-decade rosary is in poor condition, so I finally managed to make myself a new one out of some of the bits and pieces left over in my bead-trays.
Yesterday, when I woke and started to pray as usual, these two groups of linked couplets quickly came to me. They were quite hard to put into words, but slowly, line by line, the whole piece emerged from my inner darkness.
Be silent before the LORD, all humanity
for he is springing into action from his holy dwelling.
(Zechariah 2:13; NLT).
1. Here, in silent adoration,
Lord, I wake, and start to pray.
Here, in stillness: exultation –
Thus, Lord, I begin each day.
Here, I find you, always waiting:
Yahweh, you’re not far away.
❤️
2. Here, alone, in wordless worship,
Lord, you set my spirit free.
Here, in darkness: one with you –
There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.
Here, in timeless liberation: This is heaven, Lord, for me.
Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said,
“Surely the LORD is in this place,
and I wasn’t even aware of it!”
(Genesis 28:16; NLT).
References
First three couplets:
🔻 We adore you as the one who is over all things (1 Chronicles 29:11; NLT).
🔻 Bestill, andknow that I am God (Psalm 46:10; NLT). 🔻 Exult in his holy name (1 Chronicles 16:10; NLT).
🔻 The LORD must wait for you to come to him (Isaiah 30:18; NLT).
🔻 He is not far from any one of us (Acts 17:27; NLT).
Second three couplets: 🔻 When you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private (Matthew 6:6; NLT).
🔻 WorshiptheLORD in all his holy splendor (1 Chronicles 16:29; NLT).
🔻 Our soul has gone free like a bird out of the net of those who would take her (Psalm 124:7; BBE).
🔻 Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light (Micah 7:8; NLT).
🔻 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).
🔻 What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God, the very gateway to heaven! (Genesis 28:17; NLT).
🔻The kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21; KJV).
🔻 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).
🔻 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).
This prayer burst upon me last Wednesday morning. It was an absolute pleasure to write and reference it.
Worship the LORD in the splendour of his holiness (1 Chronicles 16:29; CSB).
1. I worship you in darkness,
And in light;
I bless you, Lord, in stillness,
And in dance.
2. I follow you in solitude,
And crowds;
I honour you in anguish,
And in peace.
3. I sing your praise in silence
And in sound;
I trust you, Lord, in sorrow,
And in joy.
4. I give you thanks
For everything you send:
Rejoicing that you love me
Without cease.
He loves us with unfailing love;
the LORD’s faithfulness endures forever.
Praise the LORD! (Psalm 117:2; NLT).
References
Verse 1
– Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name (Psalm 103:1; KJV).
Verse 2
– Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me” (Matthew 4:19; NLT). – Honour the Lord for the glory of his name (Psalm 29:2; NLT).
Verse 3
– Sing the praises of the LORD, you his faithful people; praise his holy name (Psalm 30:4; NIV).
– Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me (John 14:1; NLT).
Verse 4
– Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18; NIV). – I send good times and bad times. I, the LORD, am the one who does these things (Isaiah 45:7; NLT).
– Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again – rejoice! (Philippians 4:4; NLT).
On Monday night I laid down to sleep, turned off my light, and said the *Nunc Dimittis, as usual (please look just below today’s references for this glorious canticle). Then I prayed quietly about the state of the world, feeling sad and rather tearful. Soon, the first verse of today’s prayer arrived, which rarely happens at night. Fortunately, it was quick and easy to write down on my iPad in the dark.
The next day, having completed the references, and just when I thought the whole blog was finished, a second verse arrived completely unexpectedly. Then I knew it was finished.
Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light (Micah 7:8; NLT).
1. In darkness, I pray, Lord,
In silence, I weep;
In stillness, I sigh, Lord,
And then try to sleep.
2. But when I can’t sleep, Lord,
And can’t even pray,
Please help me to cling to you, Lord,
Till next day.
I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.
(Psalm 63:8; NIV).
God has taken his place in her; she will not be moved:
he will come to her help at the dawn of morning.
(Psalm 46:5; BBE).
References
Verse 1: Sit now in darkness and silence (Isaiah 47:5; NLT).
I weep and my eyes overflow with tears (Lamentations 1:16; NIV).
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes (Psalm 37:7; NIV).
You know what I long for, Lord; you hear my every sigh (Psalm 38:9; NLT).
Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted (Psalm 25:16; NIV).
Verse 2: You don’t let me sleep. I am too distressed even to pray! (Psalm 77:4; NLT). Clingtohim (Deuteronomy 10:20; NLT).
My soul yearns for you inthenight (Isaiah 26:9; NIV).
When I awake, I will see you face to face and besatisfied (Psalm 17:15; NLT).
*The Nunc Dimittis: Luke 2:29-32; KJV.
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
This prayer-poem arose during wordless prayer yesterday morning:
Be still in the presence of the LORD (Psalm 37:7; NLT).
1. Out of my stillness,
Out of my silence,
Out of my darkness,
And out of my depth,
2. Lord, comes your Dayspring,
Lord, comes your Spirit,
Lord, comes your voice, and your Word,
And your breath.
3. One day, in stillness,
One day, in silence,
One day, in darkness,
You’ll take me, in death.
God will redeem me from the world of the dead;
he will surely take me to himself. (Psalm 49:15; NIV).
References
Verse 1: Be silent before the Lord (Zechariah 2:13; NLT).
Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light (Micah 7:8; NLT).
Out of the depths I cry to you, LORD (Psalm 130:1; NIV).
Verse 2: The Dayspring from on high has visited us; to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace (Luke 1:78-9; NKJV).
Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us (Colossians 3:11; NLT).
We have the Holy Spiritwithinus (Romans 8:23; NLT).
After the fire came a still, small voice (1 Kings 19:12; BSB).
He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the WordofGod (Revelation 19:13; 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 livingsoul (Genesis 2:7; KJV).
Verse 3: I shall return to take you to myself, so that you may be with me where I am (John 14:3; NJB).
The dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7; NIV).
Today’s prayer came to me during silent contemplation. It arrived very simply and easily, to my great gratitude and delight. The contrast with writing yesterday’s blog couldn’t be greater. Here is a link, in case you would like to check it out: An invitation: https://wp.me/p45bCr-epN.
People will look to their Creator and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel.
(Isaiah 17:7; NLT).
I turn my inward eyes to you,
Creator of the human race;
In stillness, and in silence, Lord,
I gaze upon your face.
I join my mind, and heart, and soul With yours, as I absorb your grace;
With childlike faith, and hope, and love,
I rest in your embrace.
The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you. (Deuteronomy 33:27; NLT).
Today’s prayer arrived yesterday, shortly after I woke up:
Be silent before the LORD, all humanity (Zechariah 2:13; NLT).
I worship you in silence, Lord,
In stillness, and in darkness,
All alone;
Astonished by your majesty,
Your changelessness, your power,
All unknown;
And yet you are so gentle, Lord,
Your love so warm and bright,
So pure and sweet,
And so I dare to worship you,
Repeat your name, rejoice,
And kiss your feet.
A woman in the town who was a sinner found out that Jesus was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house. She brought an alabaster jar of perfume and stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to wash his feet with her tears. She wiped his feet with her hair, kissing them and anointing them with the perfume (Luke 7:37-8; CSB).
References
Who can know the LORD’s thoughts? (Romans 11:33; NLT).
We cannot imagine the power of the Almighty (Job 37:23; NLT).
He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle (Isaiah 42:3; NLT).
He loves us with unfailing love; the LORD’s faithfulness endures forever (Psalm 117:2; NLT).
All things come from you (1 Chronicles 29:14; NKJV).
Silence
Is a gift from God,
And solitude,
A recompense.
Stillness
Is a privilege,
And darkness
My inheritance.
I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness – secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name (Isaiah 45:3; NLT).
NB: I posted this little prayer by accident whilst editing it for later in the week. Rather than panic, I’ll let it stand, and post tomorrow’s in the morning, as usual. Stuff happens! XXXXX
