Category: strength

One day

Ruth Kirk

Image: Rudy and Peter Skitterians, Pixabay

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

1. One day, my soul
Will leave this flesh behind:

2. I’ll take my final breath,
Get out of bed,

3. And walk away, Lord,
Into the blue beyond.

4. Then, gathering strength
With every joyful step,

5. I’ll rise into the air
On eagles’ wings

6. To meet you, Lord,
As all creation sings.

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. Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last (Luke 23:46; NLT).

3. They shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31; NKJV).

There they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there seemed to be a surface of brilliant blue lapis lazuli, as clear as the sky itself (Exodus 24:10; NLT).

4. Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength (Isaiah 40:31; NKJV).

Ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace (Isaiah 55:12; KJV).

5. They shall mount up with wings like eagles (Isaiah 40:31; NKJV).

6. We […] will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17; NLT).

Return to me, for I have redeemed you. Sing for joy, you heavens, for the Lord has done this; shout aloud, you earth beneath. Burst into song, you mountains, you forests and all your trees (Isaiah 44:23; NIV).

Darkness

Ruth Kirk

Image: Matthias Heil, Unsplash

1. When all my peace and joy
Are stripped away,
You are in the darkness I must face.

2. When all my health and strength
Are stripped away,
You are in the stillness I embrace.

3. When all my hopes and dreams
Are stripped away,
You are in the sorrow that remains.

4. When all I thought I had
Is stripped away,
You are in the silence, Lord, that reigns.

References

1. You have covered us with darkness (Psalm 44:19; NLT).

O Lord, you have said that you would live in a thick cloud of darkness (1 Kings 8:12; NLT).

If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the Lord and rely on your God (Isaiah 50:10; NLT).

2. My health is broken (Psalm 38:7; NLT).

My strength is gone (Daniel 10:17; NLT).

Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10; NLT).

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever (Psalm 73:26; NLT).

3. My hopes have disappeared. My heart’s desires are broken (Job 17:11; NLT).

He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows (Isaiah 53:4; NIV).

4. Even what they think they have will be taken from them (Luke 8:18; NIV).

After the fire [came] a sound of sheer silence (1 Kings 19:12; NRSV).

I seek you

Ruth Kirk
Image: Tomas B, Pixabay

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

1. Living God,
I seek you in my mind,
So I may know your presence
Every day.

2. Son of Man,
I seek you in my heart,
So we can walk together, talk,
And pray.

3. Counsellor,
I seek you in my soul,
For I can’t live without your strength
And love.

4. Lord,
May we be one for evermore,
In mind, and heart, and soul;
In flesh, and blood.

References

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

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

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

Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me (Psalm 23:4; NLT).

3. The Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things (John 14:26; CSB).

You have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you (1 John 2:27; NLT).

He will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit (Ephesians 3:16; NLT).

He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love (Romans 5:5; NLT).

4. I pray […] that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one – I in them and you in me – so that they may be brought to complete unity (John 17:20-23; NIV).

God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us” (Genesis 1:26; NLT).

You are the children of the living God (Hosea 1:10; NLT).

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5; NKJV).

I will give them one heart (Jeremiah 32:39; NLT).

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

There is one body (Ephesians 4:4; NLT).

In Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body (Colossians 2:9; NLT).

Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you (John 6:53; NLT).

When my strength is gone

Ruth Kirk

What can I offer the Lord for all he has done for me?
(Psalm 116:12; NLT).

1. Father,
When my strength is gone,
I offer you my mind.

2. Father,
When my mind is blank,
I offer you my heart.

3. Father,
When my heart is numb,
I offer you my soul.

4. Father,
When my soul is void,
You’re with me, in the dark.

References

1. My strength is gone (Daniel 10:17; NLT).

2. In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin (Romans 7:25; NLT).

3. His heart became numb (Genesis 45:26; ESV).

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

Unhurried and unworried

Ruth Kirk

To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life –
this is indeed a gift from God
(Ecclesiastes 5:19; NLT).

1. I can do a lot
If I’m unhurried.

2. I can walk, Lord,
If I take my time.

3. I can still write prayers –
If I work slowly,

4. Searching out each rhythm,
Word, and rhyme.

5. I can do a lot
If I’m unworried,

6. Accepting how I am, Lord,
All day long;

7. Living in your presence,
And rejoicing –

8. For though I’m weak, and tired,
You are strong.

References

1. I walk slowly all my years (Isaiah 38:15; ESV).

3. Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes […] Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? (Luke 12:22-26; NIV).

5. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord (Job 1:21; NLT).

Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows (John 16:33; NLT).

6. Should we accept only good from the hand of God, and never anything bad? (Job 2:10; NLT).

I said to myself, “This is my sickness, and I must endure it” (Jeremiah 10:19; NIV).

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

His name is the Lord – rejoice in his presence! (Psalm 68:4; NLT).

8. He knows how weak we are (Psalm 103:14; NLT).

I am weary and worn out, O God (Proverbs 30:1; NLT).

Recognise that the Lord is glorious and strong (1 Chronicles 16:28; NLT).

Speak to me

Ruth Kirk
Image: Elias Sch, Pixabay

After the fire came a gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:12; NIV).

Lord,

1. Speak to me with words of peace:
Abate the tempest
in my mind.

2. Speak to me with words of truth:
Reveal your presence
In my heart.

3. Speak to me with words of hope:
Dispel the shadows
in my soul.

4. Speak to me with words of love:
Restore my strength,
And make me whole.

References

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

He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves (Psalm 107:29; NLT).

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

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

3. God [is] the source of hope (Romans 15:13; NLT).

My God turns my darkness into light (Psalm 18:28; NIV).

4. God is love (1 John 4:16; NLT).

He restores my strength (Psalm 23:3; NET).

Upon him was the chastisement that made us whole (Isaiah 53:5; RSV).

Dead leaves

Ruth Kirk
Image: Ruth Kirk

Lord,

1. Sheltered by last year’s dead leaves,
Can I spring up anew?

2. Shielded by last year’s sparse crop,
Can I bear fruit, like you?

3. Nourished by last year’s parched growth,
Can I accept your will?

4. Strengthened by last year’s dry stems,
Can I, Lord, serve you, still?

References

1. Some [seed] fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root (Matthew 13:5-6; NIV).

2. It has been planted, but will it thrive? Will it not wither completely when the east wind strikes it? (Ezekiel 17:10; NIV).

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-3; NRSV).

3. He nourished them with honey from the rock and olive oil from the stony ground (Deuteronomy 32:13; NLT).

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

4. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised (Job 1:21; NIV).

Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only (Luke 4:8; NIV).

Wake from the nightmare

Ruth Kirk
Image: Johannesburg Plenio, Pixabay

Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows
(John 16:33; NLT).

1. Let’s wake from the the nightmare
Of childhood,
And think of the mountains
We’ve crossed.

2. Let’s cast off the hell
Of our parents,
And rise above all
We have lost.

3. Let’s wake in the light
Of God’s kingdom
To think of his Son,
And forgive.

4. Let’s cast off depression
And darkness,
And rise in his strength –
Then we’ll live!

Image: nonmisvegliate, Pixabay

References

1. Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you (Ephesians 5:14; NIV).

The gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult (Matthew 7:14; NLT).

Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me (Psalm 23:4; NLT).

2. Banish anxiety from you heart and and cast off the troubles of your body (Ecclesiastes 11:10; NIV).

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised (Job 1:21; NIV).

3. [Give] joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light (Colossians 1:12; NIV).

If you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you (Matthew 6:14; NIV).

4. Those who wait for the Lord’s help find renewed strength; they rise up as if they had eagles’ wings, they run without growing weary, they walk without getting tired (Isaiah 40:31; NET).

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10; NLT).

If we seek the Lord (#2 of 2 linked prayers)

Ruth Kirk
Photo: geralt

You must love the Lord your God with all your heart,
all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind
(Luke 10:27; NLT).

1. If we seek the Lord
With all our strength
Then we will find.

2. If we knock
Upon his door, it opens –
In our mind.

3. If we ask him,
He will heal our hearts
And make us whole.

4. Then we’ll love the Lord
In all we meet,
And in our soul.

References

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

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

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

4. Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me (Matthew 25:40; NIV).

The kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21; KJV).

Listening

Ruth Kirk
Photo: falco

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

Lord,

1. I’m neither strong,
Nor energetic.

2. There’s very little
I can do for others.

3. But I can listen patiently,
Offering love and comfort,

4. Sharing the load
Of those I meet

5. Who struggle with life’s
Burdens, trials, and sorrows.

References

1,2. He knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust (Psalm 103:14; NLT).

3. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-3; NRSV).

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them (Romans 12:9; NLT).

[God] comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble (2 Corinthians 1:4; NIV).

4. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles (Matthew 5:4; NLT).

As they led Jesus away, a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, happened to be coming in from the countryside. The soldiers seized him and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus (Luke 23:26; NLT).

Mourn with those who mourn (Romans 12:15; NRSV).

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

Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows (John 16:33; NLT).

Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me (Matthew 25:40; NIV).