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Bring your offering and come into his presence
(1 Chronicles 16:29; NLT).
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1. Silence
Is my gift of gold,
2. And stillness,
All I can confer;
3. Solitude,
My frankincense,
4. And darkness, Lord,
My precious myrrh.
5. Sorrow
Is my heavy cross,
6. And suffering,
My sacred call;
7. Anguish,
My anointing oil,
8. And dying, Lord,
My bitter gall.
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My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
(Psalm 22:1; NLT).
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References
1. Be silent before the Sovereign Lord (Zephaniah 1:7; NIV).
1-4. They opened their treasure-chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:11; NLT).
2. Be still, and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10; NIV).
3. When you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private (Matthew 6:6; NLT).
4. Darkness is my closest friend (Psalm 88:18; NLT).
5. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows (John 16:33; 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).
6. If we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering (Romans 8:17; NLT).
7. In the end you will groan in anguish when disease consumes your body (Proverbs 5:11; NLT).
He has besieged and surrounded me with anguish and distress (Lamentations 3:5; NLT).
When she poured this oil on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial (Matthew 26:12; NET).
8. He has filled me with bitter herbs and given me gall to drink (Lamentations 3: 5; NIV).
The Lord gives both death and life (1 Samuel 2:6; NLT).
1. Be silent before the Sovereign Lord (Zephaniah 1:7; NIV).
After the fire [came] a still small voice (1 Kings 19:12; KJV).
2. Moses approached the thick darkness where God was (Exodus 20:21; NIV).
I shall behold your face (Psalm 17:15; NASB).
3. 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).
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).
4. Be still in the presence of the Lord (Psalm 37:7; NLT).
Let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most (Hebrews 4:16; NLT).
Something very unusual happened today. It was a cold, grey morning, and I set off to walk the short distance to church at about 9.30, as usual. This generally takes about 5 minutes, depending on how slow I am.
I was the first person to arrive, so I sat down to pray in the stillness, whilst waiting for mass to start at 10 o’clock. I remember checking my watch, only to find that it had stopped at 9.35, so I didn’t know the exact time.
The church was quite dark, apart from a small spotlight above the statue of Our Lady of Rushen, and a dimly-illuminated panel of the Last Supper on the front of the altar. As always, the red tabernacle flame was flickering in its glass holder.
One by one, a few people arrived quietly, the silence deepening as they settled down to pray.
Hearing the priest come out of the sacristy, I looked up, and watched as he prepared for the service by lighting the altar candles, and the first two Advent candles. These were on an ornate metal stand, next to the altar. The first took several seconds to light, but the second burned immediately.
As the second flame steadied, the priest, the stand, and a small area around them were suddenly bathed in a glowing, translucent, Marian-blue light. Time seemed to stand still. I gazed in wonder, unsure of what I was seeing. Were my eyes playing tricks on me? Was I imagining it? Could anyone else see what was happening? The effect was soft, yet bright; exquisitely beautiful, mysterious, and awesome. Overwhelmed and disturbed, I hid my face, and prayed, full of confusion. I had no sense of how long this continued, but it couldn’t have been more than a few minutes.
Then there was a click, and the main church lights came on. I looked up, but the radiant turquoise-blue light had disappeared. The little sacring-bell rang; we all stood up as the priest entered to say mass. I knew it was exactly 10am, as he is always very punctual.
After the service, I stayed in the church to pray, then walked back slowly, feeling very strange, and trying to make sense of the whole experience.
When I got home, I found an online message from a friend, which included the following sentence:
May you know the stirring of His Spirit within you,
guiding and sustaining you today.
The message had been sent at 9.44am, which must have been just around the time when the strange light appeared.
1. May I start afresh today,
And leave my setbacks
Far behind.
2. May I try again, Lord,
To be patient, frank,
And kind.
3. May my heart and mind
Commune with yours, Lord:
Silent, still,
4. As I listen for your quiet voice,
So I may do
Your will.
References
1. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning (Lamentations 3:23; NLT).
Get rid of your sins, and leave all iniquity behind you (Job 11:4; NLT).
2. Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city (Proverbs 16:32; NLT).
We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ (Ephesians 4:15; NLT).
A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people (2 Timothy 2:24; NLT).
Love your enemies and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish (Luke 6:35; RSV).
3. Pray constantly (1 Thessalonians 5:17; NIV).
Pray about everything (Philippians 4:6; NLT).
Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge (Psalm 62:8; NLT).
Be silent before the Sovereign Lord (Zephaniah 1:7; NIV).
Be still in the presence of the Lord (Psalm 37:7; NLT).
4. After the fire came a gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:12; NIV).
Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go” (Isaiah 30:21; NLT).
Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing (Psalm 143:10; NLT).
