1. This little cross
Is soaked in prayer.
I wear it day
And night.
2. Washed with tears,
And kissed with love:
In darkness,
It brings light.
3. Held fast in joy,
In fear, and pain;
With me
In all I say, and do.
4. Just as this cross
Is dear to me,
I, Lord, am dear
To you.
🧡
References
1. Pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17; NIV).
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).
2. She knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet (Luke 7:38; NLT).
The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness (Psalm 18:28; NLT).
3. Hold fast him (Deuteronomy 11:22; NIV).
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me (Psalm 23:4; KJV).
4. 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).
“Don’t be afraid,” he said, “for you are very precious to God” (Daniel 10:19; NLT).
My life is spent with sorrow and my years with sighing; my strength has failed because of my guilt, and my body has wasted away (Psalm 31:10; NASB20).
1. I’m sorry that I’m nothing, Lord.
I’m sorry I’m so weak.
2. I’m sorry I can’t serve you, Lord,
And sorry I’m so bleak.
3. I’m sorry I’ve got nothing, Lord,
To show for all my years.
4. I’m sorry that I’ve wasted all my life
On sin, and tears.
5. I can only cling to you, Lord,
As I face each test.
6. I can only try to pray, Lord,
And to do my best.
7. I can only cry to you, Lord: Father, lift me up!
8. I can only trust in you,
And drink each bitter cup.
✙
References
1. I am nothing but dust and ashes (Genesis 18:27; NIV).
Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak (Psalm 6:2; NLT).
2. You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him (Luke 4:8; NLT).
You have taken away my companions and my loved ones. Darkness is my closest friend (Psalm 88:18; NLT).
3. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth (Matthew 25:25; NLT).
Is not all human life a struggle? Our lives are like that of a hired hand, like a worker who longs for the shade, like a servant waiting to be paid. I, too, have been assigned months of futility, long and weary nights of misery (Job 7:1-3; NASB20).
4. I was born a sinner – yes, from the moment my mother conceived me (Psalm 51:5; NLT).
You have fed us with sorrow and made us drink tears by the bucketful (Psalm 80:5; NLT).
I have cried until the tears no longer come; my heart is broken. My spirit is poured out in agony (Lamentations 2:11; NLT).
Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows (John 16:33; NLT).
5. I cling to you (Psalm 63:8; NLT).
You examine us every morning and test us every moment (Job 7:18; NLT).
6. Pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17; NIV).
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15; NIV).
7. O Lord, I am calling to you. Please hurry! Listen when I cry for your help! (Psalm 141:1; NLT).
You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but you will restore me to life again and lift me up from the depths of the earth (Psalm 71:20; NLT).
8. Trust in God and trust also in me (John 14:1; NLT).
He has […] given me a bitter cup of sorrow to drink (Lamentations 3:15; 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).
Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice (Psalm 55:17; KJV).
1. I seek you when I wake, Lord,
At midday,
And after noon:
Please hear my sighs, Draw near to me, And bring me comfort, soon.
2. I search for you each evening, Lord,
And long for you
Each night:
Please see my tears, And come to me, So I may glimpse your light.
3. I thirst for you unceasingly,
And crave
Your warm embrace:
Please heed my cries, And take me home – Then I will see your face.
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord (Jeremiah 29:13-14; NIV).
🍁
References
1. In the morning I earnestly seek for God (Isaiah 26:9; NLT).
In the multitude of my thoughts within me, thy comforts delight my soul (Psalm 94:19; ASV).
2. All night long I search for you (Isaiah 26:9; NLT).
For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine (Isaiah 9:2; NLT).
3. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him? (Psalm 42:2; NLT).
So he returned to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him (Luke 15:20; NLT).
The dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7; NLT).
Now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12; NRSV).
1. Lord,
May your pattern
Be always before me,
Helping me face
All my tears.
2. Lord,
May your courage
Be always before me,
Helping me face
All my fears.
3. Lord,
May your patience
Be always before me,
Helping me face
All my pain.
4. Lord,
May your Spirit
Be always before me,
Lighting my way
With your flame.
References
1. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps (1 Peter 2:21; NLT).
While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death (Hebrews 5:7; NLT).
2. Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39; NIV).
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 me and comfort me (Psalm 23:4; NLT).
3. May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ (2 Thessalonians 3:5; NKJV).
Since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too (1 Peter 4:1; NLT).
4. I will pour out my Spirit upon all people (Joel 2:28; NLT).
The Holy One will be a flame (Isaiah 10:17; NLT).
He lit up the way before me and I walked safely through the darkness (Job 29:3; NLT).
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-3; ESV).
1. Every day, my Father,
You make all creation new,
And every day, my Still Small Voice,
You teach me what is true.
2. Every day, my Advocate,
You stand to plead my case,
And every day, my Prince of Peace,
You fill me with your grace.
3. Every day, my Counsellor,
You help me face my fears,
And every day, my Comforter,
You wipe away my tears.
4. Every day, my Lord of lords,
You make me more like you,
And every day, my King of kings,
You heal my spirit, too.
5. Every day, my Holy One,
You give me a new heart,
And every day, Bright Morning Star,
You grant me a fresh start.
Image: Markus Distelrath, Pixabay
References
1. God in heaven is your spiritual Father (Matthew 23:9; NLT).
He who sat upon the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new” (Revelation 21:5; RSV).
After the fire [came] a still small voice (1 Kings 19:12; KJV).
I, the Lord, speak only what is true (Isaiah 45:19; NLT).
2. I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, [Comforter, Encourager, Counsellor] who will never leave you (John 14:16; NLT).
If anyone [sins], we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous (1 John 2:1; NLT).
A child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6; NLT).
May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord (2 Peter 1:2; NLT).
3. 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).
God will wipe every tear from their eyes (Revelation 7:17; NLT).
4. He is Lord of lords, and King of kings (Revelation 17:14; NKJV).
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).
He restores my soul (Psalm 23:3; NKJV).
Your strength will be renewed each day like the morning dew (Psalm 110:3; NLT).
5. I am the Lord, your Holy One (Isaiah 43:15; NLT).
I will give you a new heart […] I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26; NIV).
I, Jesus […] am the bright morning star (Revelation 22:16; NLT).
His mercies begin afresh each morning (Lamentations 3:22; NLT).
Everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him (Philippians 3:8-9; NLT).
Lord,
1. May I be one mind with you,
And share in all your joys and tears.
2. May I be one heart with you,
And share the way you faced your fears.
3. May I be one soul with you,
And share in all your pain and loss.
4. May I be one flesh with you,
And share your death upon the cross.
References
1. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5; NKJV).
Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15; NKJV).
2. I will give them one heart (Jeremiah 32:39; 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).
3. The person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him (1 Corinthians 6:17; NLT).
If we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering (Romans 8:17; NLT).
4. Because God’s children are human beings – made of flesh and blood – the Son also became flesh and blood (Hebrews 2:14; NLT).
Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus (2 Corinthians 4:10; NLT).
6. And the loss of life’s riches –
But God is my wealth.
References
1. 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).
He was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood (Luke 22:44; NLT).
2. At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock (Mark 15:33; NLT).
3. Days of suffering torment me (Job 30:27; NLT).
4. When you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go (John 21:18; NIV).
5. Why is light given to those in misery, and life to the bitter of soul, to those that long for death that does not come, who search for it more than hidden treasure? (Job3:20-2; NIV).
6. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord (Job 1:21; NIV).
How great are God’s riches of wisdom and knowledge! (Romans 11:33; NLT).
