thought – Seeking God's face together

According to your will

August 5, 2020Ruth Kirk

Image: Engin Akyurt, Pixabay

This is the confidence we have in approaching God:
that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us
(1 John 5:14; NIV).

Lord,

1. May I treat myself with love
According to your will,
Sharing all I feel with you
As I face each new test.

2. May I capture all my thoughts
According to your will,
Changing judgements into love –
Then I’ll have done my best.

3. May I speak the truth in love
According to your will,
Choosing all my words with care,
Though sometimes I’ll be blamed.

4. May I do all things with love
According to your will,
Serving you with all my heart –
Then I won’t be ashamed.

References

1. Love your neighbour as yourself (Leviticus 19:18; NLT).

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

Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested (Hebrews 2:18; NLT).

2. We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5; NIV).

Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For […] the standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged (Matthew 7:1-2; NLT).

We have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16; NLT).

I have always tried my best to let wisdom guide my thoughts (Ecclesiastes 7:23; NLT).

3. We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ (Ephesians 4:15; NLT).

I have many aggressive enemies; they hate me without reason (Psalm 38:19; NLT).

4. Do everything with love (1 Corinthians 16:14; NLT).

Serve the Lord with all your heart (1 Samuel 12:20; NIV).

Let me not be ashamed; let not my enemies triumph over me (Psalm 25:2; NKJV).

Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in you (Psalm 25:20; NKJV).

In contemplation

April 20, 2020April 20, 2020Ruth Kirk

Draw near to God and he will draw near to you
(James 4:8; NKJV).

1. Lord,
In contemplation,
I watch my thoughts arise;
Wrapping them in love, I lay them down,
With soft goodbyes.

2. Lord,
In contemplation,
I watch my thinking fade,
Waiting, still and silent, as your glory
Is unveiled.

3. Lord,
In contemplation,
I watch my thinking cease;
Slowly coming closer, till we meet
In joy and peace.

4. Lord,
In contemplation,
I’m drawn into your gaze;
At last, our souls unite, and I am lost
In wordless praise.

References

1. When you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private (Matthew 6:6; NLT).

Leave all iniquity behind you (Job 11:14; NLT).

He told them to take nothing for the journey except a walking stick (Mark 6:8; NLT).

They left everything and followed Jesus (Luke 5:11; NLT).

2. Wait patiently for the Lord (Psalm 27:14; NLT).

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

Be silent before the Sovereign Lord (Zephaniah 1:7; NIV).

We all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image (2 Colossians 3:18; NIV).

3. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you (James 4:8; NKJV).

While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him (Luke 15:20; NIV).

4. The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love (Psalm 33:18; NIV).

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

We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans (Romans 8:26; NIV).

Search me, Lord

February 21, 2020Ruth Kirk

Search me, O God, and know my heart (Psalm 139:23; NLT).

1. Search me, Lord,
Then live within,
And help me fight
Each urge to sin.

2. Search my mind,
I beg you; stay
To help me keep
Mean thoughts at bay.

3. Search my heart,
Remain; invest
In me, and help me
Face each test.

4. Search my soul,
Make it your home,
Then, Lord, I’ll be
Your flesh and bone.

References

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

Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak (Mark 14:38; NLT).

2. I, the Lord, search the heart and examine the mind (Jeremiah 17:10; NIV).

We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5; NIV).

3. The Lord tests the heart (Proverbs 17:3; NLT).

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

4. The word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12; NIV).

Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them” (John 14:23; NLT).

All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it (1 Corinthians 12:27; NLT).

The Spirit of God lives in you (1 Corinthians 3:16; NLT).

Pierce my side

February 8, 2020February 8, 2020Ruth Kirk

He was pierced for our transgressions (Isaiah 53:5; NIV).

The word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword,
it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow;
it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12; NIV).

1. Pierce my side, Lord,
Enter in,
And help me fight
Each urge to sin.

2. Pierce my mind
And come to stay;
Prompt me to keep
Mean thoughts at bay.

3. Pierce my heart, Lord,
Lodge there; rest;
And strengthen me
To face each test.

4. Pierce my soul;
Make it your home;
Then I will be
Your flesh and bone.

References

1. One of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water (John 19:34; NIV).

Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak (Mark 14:38; NLT).

2. We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5; NIV).

3. The pain will be so bad it will pierce your heart (Jeremiah 4:18; NET).

Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” (Acts 2:37; NLT).

The Lord tests the heart (Proverbs 17:3; NLT).

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

4. A sword will pierce your very soul (Luke 2:35; NLT).

Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them” (John 14:23; NLT).

All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it (1 Corinthians 12:27; NLT).

When I die

November 29, 2019Ruth Kirk

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).

1. When I die,
I’ll leave behind this body.

2. When I die,
These thoughts will simply cease.

3. When I die,
This heart will beat no more, Lord,

4. But my spirit, which is you,
Will rest in peace.

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. How frail is humanity! How short is life, how full of trouble! We blossom like a flower and then wither. Like a passing shadow, we quickly disappear (Job 14:1-2; NLT).

3. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted within me (Psalm 22:14; NIV).

4. There is a spirit within people, the breath of the Almighty within them (Job 32:8; NLT).

God is Spirit (John 4:24; NLT).

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

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

Those who follow godly paths will rest in peace when they die (Isaiah 57:2; NLT).

Prayer

November 16, 2019Ruth Kirk

Prayer is much less about what we want to say to God,
And much more about what he wants to say to us.

This is because before a word is on our lips,
Or a thought comes into our minds,
Or a longing enters our hearts,

He already knows it
Completely!

References

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

Stand in silence in the presence of the Sovereign Lord (Zephaniah 1:7; NLT).

O that today you would listen as he speaks! (Hebrews 4:7; NET).

Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand! (Matthew 11:15; NLT).

Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely (Psalm 139:4; NIV).

I know everything that comes into your minds (Ezekiel 11:5; NLT).

He knows the secrets of every heart (Psalm 44:21; NLT).

Seek God’s help

October 26, 2019Ruth Kirk

1. Try to think each thought
With love –
Seek God’s help
Through Jesus’ name.

2. Try to say each word
With love –
Ask him for
The Spirit’s flame.

3. Try to do each deed
With love –
Beg his help:
Christ will suffice.

4. Try to live your life
In love –
You’ll dwell with him
In paradise.

References

1. We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5; NIV).

The Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name (John 15:16; NLT).

2. We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ (Ephesians 4:15; NLT).

How much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him (Luke 11:13; NLT).

What looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:3-4; NLT).

3. Do everything with love (1 Corinthians 16:14; NLT).

Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you (Psalm:5; NLT).

Whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus (Colossians 3:17; NLT).

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

Today you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43; NLT).

My thoughts

October 15, 2019Ruth Kirk

Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ (Ephesians 5:2; NLT).

1. Father,
May my thoughts
Be full of love:
For you, for all,
And even for myself.

2. Father,
May my words
Be full of love:
For you, for all,
And even for myself.

3. Father,
May my deeds
Be full of love:
For you, for all,
And even for myself.

4. Father,
May my life
Be full of love:
For you, for all,
And even for myself.

References

1. We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5; NIV).

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2; NIV).

2. We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ (Ephesians 4:15; NLT).

3. Whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus (Colossians 3:17; NLT).

4. Whoever pursues […] unfailing love will find life (Proverbs 21:21; NLT).

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them (Romans 12.9; NLT).

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).

Love the stranger (Deuteronomy 10:19; NKJV).

Show love to foreigners (Deuteronomy 10:19; NLT).

Love your enemies (Matthew 5:44; NIV).

Love your neighbour as yourself (Mark 12:31; NLT).

When I sit alone

October 13, 2019October 13, 2019Ruth Kirk

I will give you treasures hidden in darkness – secret riches.
I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord
(Isaiah 45:3; NLT).

1. When I sit alone, Lord God,
To register my thoughts,
I face, at last,
My suffering, within.

2. When I sit in silence, Lord,
To ponder all I’ve said,
I glimpse, at last,
My enemy, within.

3. When I sit in stillness, Lord,
To weigh up all I’ve done,
I see, at last,
My sinfulness, within.

4. When I sit in darkness, Lord,
To contemplate my life,
I find, at last,
Your presence, deep within.

References

1. When you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private (Matthew 6:6; NLT).

How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? (Psalm 13:2; NLT).

2. Be silent before the Sovereign Lord (Zephaniah 1:7; NIV).

Love your enemy (Matthew 5:44; NET).

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

God have mercy on me, a sinner (Luke 18:13; NIV).

4. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light (Micah 7:8; NLT).

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

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

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