Yesterday, at the end of a time of quiet prayer, today’s verses began to flow, gradually taking shape during the rest of the day.
The most important commandment is this: “Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only LORD. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength” (Mark 12:29-30; NLT).
No matter what happens
I’ll love you.
To all you ordain
I’ll say: “Yes.”
Whatever you take
I’ll rejoice, Lord.
Whatever you send
I will bless.
No matter what happens
I’ll worship,
And all you impose
I’ll embrace.
In troubles and tests
I’ll give thanks, Lord,
For here, in your hands,
I am safe.
I am in the hands of the Lord, the Most High is my safe resting-place (Psalm 91:9; BBE).
References 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).
The LORD your God is testing you to see if you truly love him with all your heart and soul (Deuteronomy 13:3; NLT).
Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world (John 16:33; NLT).
A reading: Job receives disastrous, life-changing news
Then Job stood up, tore his robe, and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshiped, saying: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will leave this life. The LORD gives, and the LORD takes away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.” Throughout all this Job did not sin or blame God for anything (Job 1:20-22; CSB).
Yesterday, through a message from a friend (thank you L.), I discovered Wikimedia Commons, giving me access to thousands of new photographs. I’m so grateful for this, and so delighted to begin sharing them with all who visit this website.
Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest…
Are you weary?
Are you burdened?
Come, right now, To Jesus.
Are you grieving?
Are you frightened? He will help you Face each test.
He is humble.
He is gentle.
He is here To comfort you.
Are you weary?
Come to Jesus: He will always
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).
References
I am with you always, even to the end of the world (Matthew 28:20; WNT).
Yea, 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).
The Rosary Hospital
Here is today’s rosary, which I thoroughly enjoyed making:
The life of every living thing is in his hand, and the breath of every human being (Job 2:10; NLT).
With us from our first
To our last breath,
God is very merciful
In death.
Even as we face Our final test,
He gathers every soul
Back to his breast.
So he returned home 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).
References
The Lord our God is merciful (Daniel 9:9; NLT).
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3; NLT).
Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last (Luke 23:46; NLT).
Yea, 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).
The dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7; NIV).
Context: I was saying goodnight to God very late last Thursday evening when today’s prayer arrived, straight out of the blue:
Jesus told him, “I am the way” (John 14:6; NLT).
There’s always a way through life with you,
No matter, Lord, what you send;
Always a way to walk with you,
Right to the darkest end.
There’s always a way to be redeemed,
Whatever we’ve said, or done;
Always a way to thank you, Lord,
No matter what trials may come.
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18; NIV).
I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trialsandsorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world (John 16:33; NLT).
References
Everything comes from God (1 Corinthians 11:12; NLT).
Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realise that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life (Ecclesiastes 7:14; NLT).
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff they comfort me (Psalm 23:4; NIV).
He forgives all my sins (Psalm 103:3; NLT).
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you (1 Peter 5:7; NLT).
The Rosary Hospital
Yesterday evening I made a new Facebook page for The Rosary Hospital. However, I then discovered that I couldn’t access my two normal Facebook pages. It took me two hours to restore my previous sites. Today it was confirmed that there is no straightforward way to toggle between all three sites on my iPad.
So instead I have added a Rosary Hospital stream to my Facebook page, “Daily prayers for Christian living”, and am content with that.
Meanwhile, you might enjoy the picture below, which I took a few days ago. It shows the pattern made on a chapel wall by the sun shining through a stained glass window. As the original was very blurred, I’ve enhanced it digitally:
Context: Just before getting into bed, I always stand before my picture of Christ of Saint John of the Cross. I hold the frame, resting my cheek against it, whilst thanking Jesus for all that has happened during the day, both good and bad. I also ask for his help with difficult situations, and for guidance about things I don’t understand.
To my surprise, whilst I was doing this last Thursday night, today’s prayer arrived unbidden. I quickly realised it was Christ’s response to the personal disappointment and puzzlement I had just been sharing with him.
Whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord (Romans 14:8; NLT).
As for me, I am in your hands – do with me as you think best (Jeremiah 26:14; NLT).
Whether I live or die
I’m in your hands,
Subject to all your tests
And your commands;
Ready to fail, to suffer Yet believe;
Ready to do your will,
To serve, and grieve;
Ready to pray; give thanks –
I’ve made my choice:
Ready to lose my life, Lord,
And rejoice.
Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it (Mark 8:35; NIV).
Rejoice always (1 Thessalonians 5:16; NIV).
References
Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad? (Job 2:10; NLT).
Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world (John 16:33; NLT).
The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul (Deuteronomy 13:3; NIV).
Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found (Psalm 11i:35; NLT).
Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world (John 16:33; NLT).
I want your will to be done, not mine (Luke 22:42; NLT).
Pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17; NIV).
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18; NIV).
Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living (Romans 6:16; NLT).
Rosary News
Yesterday I launched The Rosary Hospital on Facebook, asking for broken rosaries, which I recycle into new ones. Here is a very simple five-decade rosary I made this evening. The only new parts are the cord and the olive-wood cross:
Context: Yesterdaymorning I received this prayer. I was facing a very demanding day, during which I had appointments with two different consultants.
The verses I was given reminded me of Saint Mother Theresa, who served God faithfully, even though for many years she had no sense at all of God’s loving presence. Despite this, she was always cheerful, continuing to carry out her ministry with great devotion.
Mother Theresa had to walk by faith, not sight, and I can do the same. I find this realisation very helpful, comforting and reassuring.
We walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7; CSB).
Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe (John 20:29; CSB).
Lord God,
May I experience Your warm and tender love for me,
But when I don’t, may I have faith
That you hear every plea.
May I believe as Mary did – So young, so pure, so long ago,
Prepared, Lord, to embrace each test:
The trials you bestow.
Then I’ll say, “Yes”, and offer thanks,
No matter what you ask each day,
Take up my cross, and follow Christ –
My life, my truth, my way.
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6; NLT).
References
He loves us with unfailing love; the LORD’s faithfulness endures forever (Psalm 117:2; NLT).
We know he hears us when we make our requests (1 John 5:15; NLT).
Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world (John 16:33; NLT).
The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul (Deuteronomy 13:3; NIV).
And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word (Luke 1:38; KJV).
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18; 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).
Context: For a long time now, as some readers will know, I’ve been finding it more and more difficult to write as if God is somehow solely “masculine”.
There is considerable social and religious pressure regarding this issue, so it’s taken a lot of courage for me to “come out” by making some significant changes here on my website over recent weeks. As a Christian woman, I believe very deeply that God has no gender, but includes all that is masculine and feminine, as well as everything beyond. Anything less just doesn’t make sense to me.
However, because I’m ill with Covid at present, I’m having to post some pieces from my store-house, rather than writing new material every day. Unfortunately, I don’t have sufficient energy to replace all the previously-chosen Bible quotes with more modern versions using non-sexist language. This means that you may notice a few purely masculine pronouns for God still creeping in from time to time.
Despite this, it’s a great relief and joy to have “come out” as a Christian woman who believes passionately in the genderlessness and inclusiveness of God, and the unavoidable parallel truth of human equality. All this recently found expression in a rare, humorous poem about myself. As soon as I began to write down the first few words I was given, the rest simply flowed without hesitation:
Humankind was created as God’s reflection: in the divine image God created them; female and male, God made them (Genesis 1:27; TIB).
I’ve come out as a woman,
And it really does feel good:
A woman, and a Christian,
Made of real, live flesh and blood.
A woman with a mind and heart,
A woman with a soul:
A woman who has waited many years
To be made whole.
I’ve faced discrimination,
And I’ve worked through every test:
I’ve come out for equality –
It really is the best.
I’m a person in the image
Of the God who fashioned me:
No longer is there male and female,
One in Christ – I’m free.
There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28; NLT).
References
God is notaman (Numbers 23:19; NLT).
GodisSpirit (John 4:24; NLT).
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed and announce that the time has come when the Lord will save his people (Luke 4:18-19; GNT).
Rosary news
Covid makes it very hard to think straight, and to concentrate. After failing repeatedly to join on my crosses adequately, yesterday I came pretty close to thinking I would have to give up my rosary-making hopes altogether. However, later in the day I made one final attempt, whilst scrupulously following the instructions kindly supplied by my friend Maureen in the UK. This producing a nice-looking Fiat Rosary, which gave me fresh hope:
Very sadly, though, when I picked it up it to feel and enjoy it, the cord junction simply fell apart, so now I’ll have to start all over again. But at least I remembered to say, “Thank you, Jesus”, which was a real achievement, given the circumstances!
Context: This prayer came to me last Monday, after a very bad weekend as my covid began:
The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord (Job 1:21; CSB).
No matter what you send today,
May I respond like Jesus.
No matter what you take away,
Don’t let me fail, or sin.
No matter how you test my love,
May I respond with patience, Yielding to your will, Lord God,
With tears and prayers, like Him.
I want your will to be done, not mine (Matthew 26:39; NLT).
References
He became anguished and distressed. He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death” (Matthew 26:27-8; NLT).
The LORD your God is testing you to see if you truly love him with all your heart and soul (Deuteronomy 13:3; NLT).
Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised (Hebrews 10:36; NLT).
Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal (Job: 5:17-18; NIV).
He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood (Luke 22:44; NLT).
Pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17; NIV).
My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9; NLT).
Rosary news:
Despite everything, I managed to make this Fiat Rosary yesterday:
However, when I used it with my zoom community group in the evening, I discovered that the colours shown by the pattern I’ve been given are in a different order from that shown in the community’s prayer book. So, I’ve written to the Sister who knows more about these rosaries than anyone else, in the hope that she can clarify the situation. I’ll let you know if there is any news about this. Meanwhile, each rosary I make, then take to pieces again, is a great learning experience, so there are plenty of positives to celebrate.
Context: Today’s prayer is linked to yesterday’s (https://wp.me/p45bCr-c0w), which divided itself in two, with the second part then taking on a life of its own. The process reminded me strongly of learning how an amoeba divides, in school biology! Here is the result:
This is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.
(2 John 1:6; NIV).
1. I’m walking in your love, Lord God,
I’m walking in your love.
One with you before my birth,
One in exile, here on earth, One with you in heaven, at last:
I’m walking in your love.
2. I’m living in your love, Lord God, I’m living in your love.
One with you in joys and tears,
One in troubles, tests and fears,
One with you in all you send:
I’m living in your love.
3. I’m resting in your love, Lord God,
I’m resting in your love.
One with you in loss and gain, One in sickness, grief and pain,
One with you for evermore:
I’m resting in your love.
Truly my soul finds rest in God (Psalm 62:1; NIV).
References
1. Show love to the LORD your God by walking in his ways and holding tightly to him (Deuteronomy 11:22; NLT).
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me (Psalm 23:4; NKJV).
2. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them (1 John 4:16; NLT).
Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realise that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life (Ecclesiastes 7:14; NLT).
You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again (Psalm 71:20; NRSV).
3. This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength” (Isaiah 30:15; NLT).
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30; KJV).
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