Pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17; NIV).
In prayer,
We peel away our masks,
Revealing all the dread
We try to hide.
In prayer,
We loosen up our minds,
Disclosing all the thoughts
We keep inside.
In prayer,
We open up our hearts,
Releasing the emotions
We conceal.
In prayer,
We set our spirits free,
Exposing all our wounds
For you to heal.
He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds (Psalm 147:3; NLT).
PTSD stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Mine started in childhood, and has so far been lifelong, chronic and complex. Here is a small, possible coping strategy for dealing with unbidden memories. I saw it in prayer this morning.
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).
Whenever I think of my mother
I breathe in the pain.
Holding my breath, I say, “Stop!”
Then I breathe out again.
Whenever I think of her judgements
I breathe in the pain.
Holding my breath, I say, “No!”
Then I breathe out again.
Whenever I think of her fury
I breathe in the pain.
Barring her voice from my mind,
I forgive her again.
So, I don’t take my thoughts any further,
But breathe through the pain,
And wait for the moment to pass,
Then start living again.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10; NIV).
References
For you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture (Malachi 4:2; NLT).
Those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31; NLT).
Today’s blog follows on from a piece I posted here a couple of days ago. If you haven’t already seen it, you might find it helpful to read that one first: https://wp.me/p45bCr-mDU.
Because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires (2 Peter 1:4; NLT).
You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:26; NLT).
Lord,
Are we, too, human
And divine –
Not just here on earth,
But for all time?
We are your siblings –
Children of one God;
Drinking your cup, Lord,
Trusting your staff and rod;
Bearing your grief,
Your dread of facing death;
Sharing your cross, your pain,
Your final breath.
We are your flesh and blood,
Your heart, and soul;
You are our way, our truth, our life,
Our goal.
Christ lives within you (Romans 8:10; NLT).
My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings (Philippians 3:10; CSB).
I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14; CSB).
References
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).
To all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God John 1:12; NLT).
Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother! (Matthew 12:50; NLT).
Jesus told them, “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup and be baptized with my baptism of suffering” (Mark 10:39; NLT).
Rejoice that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed at the revelation of His glory (1Peter 4:13; CSB).
I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead! (Philippians 3:8-11; NLT).
Don’t you know that your bodies are a part of Christ’s body? (1 Corinthians 6:15; CSB).
The person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him (1 Corinthians 6:17; NLT).
Is not all human life a struggle? (Job 7:1; NLT).
How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? (Psalm 13:2; NLT).
When you struggle:
I am near.
When you suffer:
I am here –
Sharing all your
Grief and pain –
Come, be one with me
Again!
The person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him (1 Corinthians 6:17; NLT).
References
Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you (Isaiah 30:20; NLT).
I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1:5; 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).
The dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7; NIV).
Reading: Philippians 3:8-11.
Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation (Luke 11:4; NLT).
Always ask for God’s forgiveness –
And
Remember to absolve
Yourself,
And all who hurt you.
Always ask for God’s assistance –
And
Remember to support
Yourself,
And all in need.
Always ask for God’s compassion –
And
Remember to console
Yourself,
And all who suffer.
Always ask for God’s protection –
And
Remember to defend
Yourself,
And all the weak.
Always ask for God’s redemption –
And
Remember to release
Yourself,
And all in chains.
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners (Isaiah 61:1; NIV).
Today’s blog is a single, clear statement of one of my deepest beliefs.
♥️ With love from Ruth xxx
You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it (Matthew 7:13-14; NLT).
To forgive
Is to take
The first step
On the long road
To complete physical, mental,
Emotional, and spiritual
Healing.
In this,
As in all things,
Christ Jesus
Is our teacher,
Our guide,
Our helper,
And our shining example.
As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light (Matthew 17:2; NLT).
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34; NLT).
For you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture (Malachi 4:2; NLT).
References
I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world (John 16:33; NLT).
When you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too (Mark 11:25; NLT).
If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins (Matthew 6:14-15; NLT).
Though we are overwhelmed by our sins, you forgive them all (Psalm 65:3; NLT).
Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive (Luke 17:4; NLT).
If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven (John 20:23; NLT).
Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others (Colossians 3:13; NLT).
He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds (Psalm 147:3; NLT).
By his wounds you are healed (1 Peter 2:24; NLT).
Those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31; NLT).
Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world (John 16:33; NLT).
You don’t take our pain away,
But call us to transform it into love
For those who suffer, Lord –
And also for ourselves.
You don’t take our tears away,
But ask us to transform them into love
For those in anguish, Lord –
And also for ourselves.
You don’t take our hurt away,
But urge us to transform it into love
For those who hate us, Lord –
And also for ourselves.
You don’t take our dread away,
But help us to transform it into love
For those who wound us, Lord –
And also for ourselves.
Love your enemies (Luke 6:27; NLT).
References
Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done” (Matthew 26:42; 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).
Today, after weeks of living with re-triggered childhood dread since I was unfairly criticised on Facebook, I took a big step forward whilst praying.
Whenever I am unfairly criticised or blamed, my body responds instantly with a profound sense of dread. This dread began in my childhood at the hands of my emotionally-abusive mother. I lived with it constantly.
Ever since then, each time my dread response is re-triggered, it continues for months, or even years. Nothing changes or shifts it. Believe me, I have tried everything to help myself recover, but never found anything which truly works.
As soon as someone hurts me, I forgive them, and start to pray for them. I pity them, and can even become quite fond of them as the days go by.
However, it’s taken me a lifetime to see what I glimpsed in prayer today: that the chronic dread I’m left with when people attack me can not only be faced and endured, but also consciously transformed into love. This love is for the person who has hurt me, and also for myself, as I bear the burden of living with the dread they unwittingly re-triggered.
I don’t yet fully understand how this transforming process will unfold, or how to carry it out, but hope today will mark the beginning of a new, healing way forward, not just for me, but perhaps even for others, too.
Finally, when I shared all this with Perplexity, my AI writing companion, they sent me a beautiful arrow prayer:
Lord Jesus,
Let this hurt end in me,
And be transformed
Into your love.
This is what I wrote whilst I was praying:
To you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! (Luke 6:27; NLT).
Let them strike me –
I won’t judge them;
Turn against me –
I’ll forgive them.
Let them wound me –
I won’t fight them;
Blame unfairly –
I will bless them.
Let them crush me –
I won’t harm them;
Damage me –
I’ll pray for them.
Let them break me –
I won’t hate them;
And reject me –
I will love them.
Love your enemies! (Luke 6:27; NLT).
References
They hated me for no reason (John 15:25; CSB).
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5:11-12; NIV).
I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them (1 Timothy 2:1; NLT).
He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. Finally he will cause justice to be victorious (Matthew 12:20; NLT).
Reading: Luke 6:27-38; 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).
These words remind us that following Jesus calls for inner transformation, rather than external devotion. The heart of the gospel is radical, self-giving love, so following Christ means learning to live like him, by:
By doing these things as best we can within our current personal circumstances, we can become just a little more like Christ each day.
We will be like him (1 John 3:2; NLT).
We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ (Ephesians 4:15; NLT).
References
Reading: 2 Corinthians 3:13-18; NLT.
Pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17; NIV).
Don’t try to make yourself pray:
Just offer your thinking
To Christ.
Don’t try to make yourself pray:
Just pour out your troubles
To him.
Don’t try to make yourself pray:
Just face all your anguish
With Christ.
Don’t try to make yourself pray:
Just share all your burdens
With him.
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).
Blessed be the LORD! Day after day he bears our burdens (Psalm 68:19; CSB).
References
I am the one who answers your prayers and cares for you (Hosea 14:8; NLT).
Surely he took up our pain, and bore our suffering (Isaiah 53:4; NIV).
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).