strength – Seeking God's face together

31.8.23: Things I used to do

August 31, 2023August 31, 2023Ruth Kirk

Collecting litter with my beloved electric bike in 2018.

Using my new electric wheelchair in 2023.

Yesterday I woke early, remembering immediately that I would be setting off on a journey today for a hospital trip to the United Kingdom. It will be my first time travelling alone for several years. I’ll be using a wheeled walking frame, so my packing has had to be pared down to the absolute minimum.

Despite feeling slightly anxious, I managed to pray for a while before today’s blog began to emerge. It puts into words the losses I experience as I get older, steadily becoming more limited by my health, energy and mobility issues.

The Lord gives and the Lord takes away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.
(Job 1:21; CSB).

Lord,

1. Help me to give up gracefully
The things I used to do,
To offer thanks, and let them go,
Returning them to you.

2. One by one you take my joys,
The things I used to do,
Like walking, cycling, seeing friends –
I yield them all to you.

3. My energy, my health, my strength,
The things I used to do,
They fade and die, but faith remains,
Surrendering to you.

4. Day by day you take away
The things I used to do,
So we draw ever closer,
While I’m coming back to you.

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

References

Verse 1:
*Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18; NIV).
*Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” (Mark 12:17; NIV).

Verse 2:
*Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! (Habakkuk 3:17; NLT).

Verse 3:
*I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go (John 21:18; NLT).
*Maryam said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of THE LORD JEHOVAH; let it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38; ABPE).

Verse 4:
*May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10; NLT).
*I want your will to be done, not mine (Luke 22:42; NLT).
*Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (1 Corinthians 13:7; ESV).
*The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else (Acts 17:24-5; NIV).

30.8.23: I follow you

August 30, 2023Ruth Kirk

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).

25.8.23. The temple

August 24, 2023August 26, 2023Ruth Kirk

This prayer arrived yesterday during silent contemplation of Jesus’ name. I saw that I would like to be a constant, open channel for the Holy Spirit to act through on earth. However, this would be a very tall order, given all my physical, mental and spiritual limitations.

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? (1 Corinthians 6:19; NLT).

I long to be the temple
Of your Spirit,
Living in your joy, and peace,
And light;
Dwelling in your mercy, love,
And patience;
Staying in your presence
Day and night.

I yearn to be the dwelling
Of your Spirit,
Praying through your wordless sighs
With trust;
Resting in your pity, strength,
And power:
One with you, my Lord,
Though I am dust.

I am only dust and ashes (Genesis 18:27; NAB).

1.8.23: You take away my health

August 1, 2023Ruth Kirk

This prayer took me by surprise as it arrived just after lunch last Sunday . It relates back to “Take my mind”, so here is a link in case you would like to check out that diary entry: https://wp.me/p45bCr-evh.

NB: Because I have so little energy, I now try hard to keep references to a minimum. However, they seemed so essential to today’s prayer that I’ve included them this time.

The LORD gives, and the LORD takes away.
Blessed be the name of the LORD.
(Job 1:21; CSB).

1. Lord,
You take away my health,
My pleasures, and my liberty;
My comfort, and autonomy –
Yet will I cling to Thee.

2. Lord,
You take away my friends,
My neighbours, and my family;
My church, and my security –
Yet will I worship Thee.

3. Lord,
You take away my choice,
My strength, and my mobility;
My self-esteem, and dignity –
Yet will I follow Thee.

4. In death,
You’ll take away my days,
My body, my identity;
My individuality –
Yet will I trust in Thee.

Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.
(Job 13:15; KJV).

References

Verse 1:
* When you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go (John 21:18; NLT).
* Cling to him (Deuteronomy 10:20; NLT).
* I cling to you (Psalm 63:8; NLT).

Verse 2:
* He hath put my brethren far from me, and mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me. My kinsfolk have failed, and my familiar friends have forgotten me (Job 19:13-14; KJV).
* You have taken away my companions and loved ones. Darkness is my closest friend (Psalm 88:18; NLT).
* Worship the LORD your God (2 Chronicles 30:8; NLT).
* You alone are the one we worship (Isaiah 26:13; NLT).

Verse 3:
* He has taken away my strength (Psalm 102:23; NET).
* Jesus said to him, “Follow me” (Matthew 8:22; NET).
* Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps (1 Peter 2:21; NIV).
* Let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives (Galatians 5:25; NLT).

Verse 4:
* Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! (Habakkuk 3:17-18; NLT).
* The LORD gives both death and life (1 Samuel 2:6; NLT).
* The dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7; NIV).
* Trust in God, and trust also in me (John 14:1; NLT).
* I trust in God (Psalm 56:4; NLT).

18.7.23: Bathed in light

July 18, 2023Ruth Kirk

These verses arrived during a period of wordless prayer yesterday morning. I resisted breaking off to write them down for as long as I could, but in the end there was no choice. This piece was extremely difficult to put into words.

God is light (1 John 1:5; NLT).

1. I’m bathed in light,
In peace, and joy;
In your forgiveness
From above.

2. I sense your pity,
Grief and tears;
Your fire, your strength,
Your tender love.

3. I’m bathed in faith,
In truth, and grace,
As I receive
Your gentle touch.

4. You share my sorrow,
Loss, and pain –
Because you care for me
So much.

God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
(John 3:16; NLT).

References

Verse 1:
🔻 The Lord is peace (Judges 6:24; NLT).
🔻 Everlasting joy will be yours (Isaiah 61:7; NIV).
🔻 He forgives all my sins (Psalm 103:3; NLT).
🔻 The LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other (Deuteronomy 4:3I; NIV).
🔻 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God (Colossians 3:1; NIV).

Verse 2:
🔻 Yahweh is tenderness and pity (Psalm 103:8; NJB).
🔻 The Lord your God is a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24; NIV).
🔻 The Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength (Isaiah 26:4; KJV).
🔻 God is love (1 John 4:8; NLT).

Verse 3:
🔻 It is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8; NIV).
🔻 The Spirit is truth (1 John 5:6; NKJV).
🔻 See, your king comes to you: he is upright and has overcome; gentle and seated on an ass (Zechariah 9:9; BBE).
🔻 I am humble and gentle at heart (Matthew 11:29; NLT).
🔻 No matter what their diseases were, the touch of his hand healed every one (Luke 4:40; NLT).

Verse 4:
🔻 In all their suffering he also suffered, and he personally rescued them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them. He lifted them up and carried them through all the years (Isaiah 63:9; NLT).
🔻 He loves us with unfailing love (Psalm 117:2; NLT).
🔻 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him (1 John 4:9; NLT).
🔻 You care for people and animals alike, O LORD (Psalm 36:6; NLT).
🔻 The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him (Nahum 1:7; NIV).
🔻 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you (1 Peter 5:7; NLT).

The Rosary Hospital News

This Fiat Rosary uses a beautiful, recycled, mother-of-pearl centrepiece, alongside a lovely, old, silver medal from a kind donor to the Rosary Hospital. If you have any old rosary parts or broken rosaries you would like to donate for re-use, I would be delighted to hear from you via the comments button just below this caption.

26.6.23: Lonely

June 26, 2023June 26, 2023Ruth Kirk

Yesterday, as so often, a migraine made my constant hot sweats harder than usual to tolerate patiently. I wrote nothing in the morning, and felt depressed, lonely and isolated. Then, at about 4.30pm, to my great surprise, today’s prayer came to me. Reminding me of the only wise way forward, it brought a moment of relief, and even hope, to an otherwise unrelievedly grey day.

Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted
(Psalm 25:16; NIV).

I am deeply depressed (Psalm 42:6; CSB).

1. Prince of Peace,
I cannot change
How lonely and depressed
I feel,

2. So, instead,
I turn to you,
And beg you, Lord,
Hear my appeal:

3. Strengthen me
To face this daily struggle,
Or my heart
Will break;

4. Help me to accept,
Endure,
And bear my cross,
For your love’s sake.

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).

References

Verse 1: Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world (John 16:33; NLT).

Verse 2: Hear my prayer, LORD, and listen to my cry for help (Psalm 39:12; CSB).

Verse 3: My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word (Psalm 119:28; NIV).

Is not all human life a struggle? (Job 7:1; NLT).

An aching heart breaks the spirit (Proverbs 15:13; HNV).

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

Verse 4: My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done (Matthew 26:42; NLT).

Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will (Hebrews 10:36; NLT).

13.6.23: You are peace

June 13, 2023June 13, 2023Ruth Kirk

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).

31.5.23: Forgiveness

May 31, 2023Ruth Kirk

The Prodigal Son, after Sir John Everett Millais. Engraved and printed by Dalziel Brothers in 1864.

Just as I was about to go down for breakfast two days ago, the first lines of today’s prayer struck me. I wrote them down on my iPad, then set off again, only for the next few lines to arrive before I had reached my bedroom door. This happened several times, until the whole piece was roughed out. It was an awesome experience.

Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? (Matthew 9:5; NLT).

Forgiveness
Is the same as healing,

Mercy
Is the same as love,

And weakness
Is the same as strength,

When we have faith
In Christ above.

Cling to your faith in Christ (1 Timothy 1:19; NLT).

A person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:16; NLT).

References

Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love (Psalm 51:1; NLT).

When I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:10; NLT)).

God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead (Romans 4:24; NLT).

Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory (1 Peter 1:21; NLT).

God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11; NLT).

21.5.23: Saying, “Yes”, to God

May 21, 2023Ruth Kirk

The Annunciation, by Benozzo Gozzoli, Narni Town Hall, Wikimedia.

Most unusually, this prayer started to arrive during the relaxation at the end of my gentle, online movement class last Thursday. All I had to do was to keep repeating the first four lines, so as not to forget them before I could write them down. The rest followed relatively easily:

We are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people” (2 Corinthians 6:16; NIV).

Live with God,
And walk with Him.

Serve with God,
And share with Him:

Share His pity,
Strength and peace,

His light and truth,
Which never cease,

His raging fire,
And tenderness –

For God is love,
So let’s say, “Yes”.

Mary said, “Yes, I am a servant of the Lord; let this happen to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38; NET).

I want your will to be done, not mine (Matthew 26:39; NLT).

References

They will be called ‘children of the living God’ (Romans 9:26; NIV).

Yahweh is tenderness and pity (Psalm 103:8; NJB).

The Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength (Isaiah 26:4; KJV).

The Lord is peace (Judges 6:24; NLT).

God is light (1 John 1:5; NLT).

The Spirit is truth (1 John 5:6; NKJV).

The Lord your God is a raging fire (Deuteronomy 4:24; GW).

God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them (1 John 4:16; NLT).

Special note: Saying, “Yes”, to God

Saying, “Yes”, to God, as in today’s prayer, has a long history. It references Mary’s response when the Angel Gabriel asked her to become the mother of Jesus.

In the Latin Vulgate Bible, which dates back to the eight century, we read how Mary give her “fiat“, or “Yes“, to the angel:

Dixit autem Maria ecce ancilla Domini fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum (Luke 1:38; Vulgate, my emphasis).

In Latin, the word, “fiat“, means, “Let it be done”, so here is a typical English rendering of this verse:

Then Mary said: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38; CPDV).

However, I prefer the simplicity and absolute directness of the NET translation, which precisely captures the deep, underlying significance of Mary’s fiat:

So Mary said, “Yes, I am a servant of the Lord; let this happen to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38; NET).

All this, and more, lies behind today’s prayer about saying, “Yes“, to God.

Acknowledgements

My thanks to the Community of Our Lady of Walsingham, for introducing me to the concept of saying, “Yes”, to God, and to the existence of fiat rosaries. Here is a link to their website: walsinghamcommunity.org.

Thank you, also, to Blue Letter Bible, without whose parallel translations, including the Vulgate, I couldn’t run this blog. Here is a link to their website: blueletterbible.org.

I owe further thanks to the Catholic Diocese of Arlington for helping me to explore the origin and significance of the word “fiat“. For those who want to know more, here is a link to their website: arlingtondiocese.org.

The Rosary Hospital

Finally, here is a picture of my shrine, with my fiat rosary in the foreground:

20.5.23: My home shrine, and fiat rosary.

16.5.23: More like you

May 16, 2023Ruth Kirk

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).

Lord,
Please make me more like you.
Consume my sins, my heart, renew,
Then I’ll show love in all I do,
And light the way for others, too.

Lord,
Please make me more like you,
So all I say is kind and true.
My judgements, fears and greed, subdue,
Until I’m perfect, through and through.

You are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:48; NLT).

References

Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven (Luke 6:37; NIV).

This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ (Ephesians 4:13; NLT).

We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ (Ephesians 4:15; NLT).

Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him (Colossians 3:10; NLT).

The Rosary Hospital