Category: strength

This cross

Ruth Kirk

Image: Ruth Kirk

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The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18; NLT).

1. Lord, this cross is made of fire –
It burns within my hands,
And gives me all the strength I need
To face life’s harsh demands.

2. This little cross is made of light –
It shines on my dark road,
And gives me all the strength I need
To bear my heavy load.

3. This simple cross is made of truth –
It teaches me your way,
And gives me all the strength I need
To follow you each day.

4. This humble cross is made of peace –
It tells me you are near,
And gives me all the strength I need
To face my pain and fear.

5. This precious cross is made of love –
It shows me how you save,
And gives me all the strength I need
To hold fast, and be brave.

I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength
(Philippians 4:13; NLT).

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References

1. God is a raging fire (Deuteronomy 4:24; GW). 

With your help I can advance against a troop, with my God I can scale a wall (2 Samuel 22:30; NIV).

2. God is light (1 John 1:5; NIV).


Then Jesus said, “Come to me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light” (Matthew 11:28-30; NLT).

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

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).

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

If we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering (Romans 8:17; NLT).

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

It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him (Deuteronomy 13:4; NIV).

Be brave and courageous (Psalm 27:14; NLT).

A vision in a dream 19.2.21.

Ruth Kirk

Image: Albrecht Fietz, Pixabay

***

1. Out in the estuary,
Dragged from the shore.

2. The current, relentless;
My strength is no more.

3. There’s no turning back now:
I’ve drifted too far –

4. Down to the river-mouth;
Over the bar.

5. The ocean, before me;
The future, unknown.

6. The start of my journey –
Afraid, and alone.

7. Drawn by the ebb-tide
I’m swept out to sea.

8. My days are completed:
My spirit flies free.

*****

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

I have no words

Ruth Kirk

Image: mystraysoul, Pixabay

💙

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).

1. I have no words
To praise you, Lord,
To thank you,
Or accept your will.

2. I have no strength
To cry aloud;
Instead, I wait,
Alone, and still.

3. I have no voice
To beg for help,
Rejoice in you,
Or mourn my loss.

4. I have no breath
To worship you –
All I can do
Is share your cross.

💙

References

1. Praise him forever (Psalm 111:10; NLT).

If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine (Matthew 26:39; NLT).

2. My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have lain me in the dust and left me for dead (Psalm 22:15; NLT).

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him (Psalm 37:7; NIV).

Turn to me and have mercy, for I am alone and in deep distress (Psalm 25:16; NLT).

3. I am so troubled that I cannot speak (Psalm 77:4; ESV).

From the depths of despair, O Lord, I call for your help (Psalm 130:1; NLT).

Pour out your heart to him (Psalm 62:8; NLT).

I grieve over my loss (Lamentations 3:20; NLT).

4. My strength is gone, and I can hardly breathe (Daniel 10:17; NLT).

Worship the Lord in all his holy splendour (1 Chronicles 16:29; NLT).

If we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering (Romans 8:17; NLT).

Let’s go, too – and die with Jesus (John 11:16; NLT).

If we die with him, we will also live with him. If we endure hardship, we will reign with him (2 Timothy 2:11-12; NLT).

Restore me

Ruth Kirk

Image: Pezibear, Pixabay

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You have allowed me to suffer much hardship,
but you will restore me to life again
(Psalm 71:20; NLT).


1. Lord,
Refill me with your light,
For mine is burning low.
Rekindle me with your bright fire,
For mine has ceased to glow.

2. Lord,
Renew me with your truth,
Which I no longer see.
Refresh me with your perfect peace –
Make haste to comfort me.

3. Lord,
Rebuild me with your hope,
For mine has long run out.
Replenish me with faith and trust,
So I don’t yield to doubt.

4. Lord,
Reform me with your grace,
Or I will cease to live.
Restore me with your constant love –
I’ve nothing left to give.

5. Lord,
Repair me with your strength,
Or I will not survive.
Please give me back your boundless joy,
For then I will revive.

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References

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

The Lord will be your permanent source of light (Isaiah 60:19; NET).

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

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

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

God [is] the source of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3; NLT).

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

Help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in you alone (2 Chronicles 14:11; NLT).

Jesus [is]the source and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2; CSB).

4. He gives us grace (Psalm 84:11; NLT).

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

5. The sovereign Lord is my source of strength (Habakkuk 3:19; NET).

God [is] the source of all my joy (Psalm 43:4; NLT).

Your breath in my body

Ruth Kirk

Image: LoggaWiggler, Pixabay

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

1. Your breath
In my body,

2. Your life
In my blood;

3. Your strength
In my weakness,

4. Your fire
In my love;

5. Your light
In my blindness,

6. Your truth
In my soul;

7. Your Word
In my heart, Lord —

8. At last,
I am whole.

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References

1. The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life (Job 33:4; NLT).

2. The Word gave life to everything that was created (John 1:4; NLT).

Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you (John 6:53; NIV).

The life of the body is in its blood (Leviticus 17:11; NLT).

Christ lives within you (Romans 8:10; NLT).

3. My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9; NLT).

4. Love flashes like fire, the brightest kind of flame (Song of Songs 8:6; NLT).

5. I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth (Isaiah 42:16; NIV).

6. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth (John 16:13; NLT).

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

I am the way the truth and the life (John 14:6; NIV).

7. I have hidden your word in my heart (Psalm 119:11; NLT).

He is the Word of life (1 John 1:1; NLT).

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

8. Then at last everyone will say, “There truly is a reward for those who live for God” (Psalm 58:11; NLT).

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

Source

Ruth Kirk

Image: Spencer Wing, Pixabay

💚

1. You are the source
Of all my joy,
My confidence,
And hope.

2. You are the source
Of my salvation,
Comfort, strength,
And peace.

3. You are the source
Of all my faith,
My light, my truth,
My love.

4. You are the source
Of my poor soul:
My God,
In heaven above.

💚

References

1. I will go to the altar of God, to God – the source of all my joy (Psalm 43:4; NLT).

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence (Jeremiah 17:7; NLT).

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

2. He became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him (Hebrews 5:9; NLT).

God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3; NLT).

The Lord is my strength (Psalm 28:7; NLT).

He will be the source of peace (Micah 5:5; NLT).

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 Lord is my light (Psalm 27:1; NLT).

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

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

4. 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).

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

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

You are my God (Psalm 31:14; NLT).

Only God in heaven is your spiritual Father (Matthew 23:9; NLT).

I love you

Ruth Kirk

Image: Henryk Niesrój, Pixabay

🌹

1. I love you, Lord,
With all my heart.

2. I cling to you
With all my mind.

3. I serve you, Lord,
With all my strength.

4. I seek you in my soul —
And find.

🌹

References

1. 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).

2. Cling to him (Deuteronomy 10:20; NLT).

3. You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him (Luke 4:8; NLT).

4. “If you look for me wholeheartedly you will find me. I will be found by you,”  says the Lord (Jeremiah 29:13-14; NLT).

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

Morning prayer

Ruth Kirk
Image: claude05alleva, Pixabay

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Lord God,
Please help me
To love you with all my heart,
Share every thought with you,
Draw all my strength from you,
Unite my soul with yours,
And serve you as best I can
Throughout today.

🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡

References

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

Pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17; NIV).

Pray about everything (Philippians 4:6; NLT).

You desire honesty from the womb (Psalm 51:6; NLT).

Pour out your heart to him (Psalm 62:8; NLT).

The Lord God is my strength (Isaiah 12:2; NLT).

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

Serve only him (Luke 4:8; NLT).

May I find my feet (#2 of 2 linked prayers)

Ruth Kirk

Image: lisa870, Pixabay

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Put on every piece of God’s armour so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm (Ephesians 6:13; NLT).

🌸

1. May I find my feet, Lord,
As a Christian,
Wearing shoes of peace
To spread your word.

2. May I stand my ground, Lord,
In your armour,
Trusting in your righteousness
And truth.

3. May I take your shield, Lord,
For protection,
Counting on your strength
To guard my faith.

4. May I wear your helmet
Of salvation,
And bear your sword –
Until I see your face.

🌸

References

1. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News (Ephesians 6:15; NLT).

2. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armour of God’s righteousness (Ephesians 6:14; NLT).

3. Hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil (Ephesians 6:16; NLT).

4. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17; NLT).

Now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12; NRSV).

Together

Ruth Kirk

Image: Jesus365.church, Yandex

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

1. I love you, Christ Jesus:
Let’s walk here together,
Linking our hands, Lord, as one.

2. I love you, Christ Jesus:
Let’s talk here together,
Yoking our minds, Lord, as one.

3. I love you, Christ Jesus:
Let’s pray here together,
Binding our hearts, Lord, as one.

4. I love you, Christ Jesus:
Let’s stay here together,
Bonding our souls, Lord, as one.

5. I love you, Christ Jesus:
Let’s cry here together,
Sharing our pain, Lord, as one.

6. I love you, Christ Jesus,
Let’s die here together,
Joining our Father, as one.

I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one – as you are in me, Father, and I am in you […] I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me (John 17:21-3; NLT).

References

1. I love you, Lord (Psalm 18:1; NLT).

The Lord holds them by the hand (Psalm 37:24; NLT).

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

3. I will give them one heart and one purpose: to worship me forever (Jeremiah 32:39; NLT).

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

5. If we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering (Romans 8:17; NLT).

6. Let’s go, too – and die with Jesus (John 11:16; NLT).

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