Category: Yahweh

Light my darkness (for R.M.)

Ruth Kirk

He makes darkness His secret place (Psalm 18:11; LSV).

Jesus,
Light my darkness;

Yahweh,
Take my hand;

Spirit,
Fill my emptiness:

Make me
Your Promised Land.

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

References

Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word (Luke 1:38; KJV).

He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me” (Matthew 26:37-8; NLT).

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).

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

 

God is good

Ruth Kirk

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 (Job 1:21; CSB).

I don’t have a right
To pain-free hands,
And I don’t have a right
To health.

I don’t have a right
To all I want,
And I don’t have a right
To wealth.

I don’t have a right
To happiness,
And I don’t have a right
To love –

But I do have a God
Who cares and shares,
For Yahweh, my Maker,
Is good.

God is good (Psalm 73:1; NLT).

References

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you (1 Peter 5:7; NLT).

In all their suffering he also suffered (Isaiah 63:9; NLT).

 

God’s infinity

Ruth Kirk

This blog might seem rather unusual to some readers. It summarises a series of perceptions, or insights, or understandings I experienced a few days ago. These perceptions showed me just a little about God’s infinity.

In him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28; NIV).

God is infinite. Everything exists within God, and everything happens within God.

We live within God. Everything around us is within God. Our world and our solar system are within God. Our galaxy is within God, and it is just one tiny speck amongst countless others, all of which exist within the infinity of God.

God has no edges, no above or beneath, no inside or outside. God has no boundaries at all, because God is everything.

If it were possible for us to watch God passing us by, that passing by would never come to an end. Moreover, no matter how long we watched for, we would still be inside God, even whilst watching God passing by.

Sometimes we catch a glimpse God. However, no matter how much we perceive, or are shown, or understand, we are only seeing a vanishingly small aspect of God’s infinite Being.

During our earthly lives, we and all our reference-points are within God, so it is impossible for us even to imagine, let alone perceive or understand, the infinity of God.

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine” (Isaiah 55:9; NLT).

References

There is … one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all (Ephesians 4:5-6; NLT).

Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by (1 Kings 19:11; NKJV).

 

Gifts

Ruth Kirk

Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full – pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap (Luke 6:38; NLT).

Although we are nothing,
That doesn’t stop Yahweh
From giving us talents and skills
To unwrap:

God’s measure is full of gifts,
Shaken together,
Pressed down, running over:
Poured into our lap.

They all depend on you to give them food as they need it. When you supply it, they gather it. You open your hand to feed them, and they are richly satisfied (Psalm 104:27-8; NLT).

Judgement and forgiveness

Ruth Kirk

Today’s blog has two stages, which came to me one after the other as I was praying very late last night.

1. Judgement

I will deal with all your oppressors (Zephaniah 3:19; NRSV).

Judgement won’t be down to me,
But you, Lord,
For you, alone,
Will deal with my oppressors.

I  won’t need to speak,
Or even see, Lord,
For you, alone,
Will handle my transgressors.

I’ll have peace of mind
From now, for good, Lord,
For you, alone,
Will talk with my aggressors.

In due season God will judge everyone, both good and bad, for all their deeds (Ecclesiastes 3:17; NLT).

2. Forgiveness

If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you (Matthew 6:14; NLT).

Yahweh, we forgive
All those who’ve harmed us;
Please forgive them, too, Lord –
Don’t condemn.

Have mercy on us all,
For we’ve hurt others,
So we are just as guilty, Lord,
As them.

This is our plea, today,
And evermore, Lord:
Yahweh, forgive and heal us all,
Amen.

The LORD forgives our sins, heals us when we are sick (Psalm 103:3; CEV).

Hebrew names

Ruth Kirk

Yahweh is our God (Deuteronomy 6:4; LSB).

Yahweh, our God,
Our Mother and Father:
We are your home
And we love you alone.

Yeshua, Brother,
Our God’s much-loved Son:
We gaze on your face:
May we grow in your grace.

Ruach, our Sister,
God’s Wisdom and Truth:
We plead for your peace,
As we pray without cease.

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion (Ephesians 6:18; NLT).

References 

Yahweh: This is a Hebrew name for God. Grammatically, Yah is feminine, and Weh is masculine.

God is our Mother: Will I, who causes others to give birth, not also give birth myself, says the Lord? Will I, who bestows generation upon others, be barren myself, says the Lord your God? (Isaiah 66:9; CPDV).

God is our Father: O LORD, you are our Father (Isaiah 64:8; NLT).

Yeshua: This is the Hebrew word for Jesus.

Christ is our Brother: Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother (Mark 3:35; NLT).

Ruach: This is the Hebrew word for the Holy Spirit. Grammatically, it is feminine.

The Holy Spirit is our Sister: God has revealed this wisdom to us through the Holy Spirit. She searches out all things, even the deep things of God (1 Corinthians 2:10; TIB).

The Spirit, too, comes to help us in our weakness. For we don’t know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit expresses our plea with groanings too deep for words. And God, who knows everything in our hearts, knows perfectly well what the Spirit is saying, because her intercessions for God’s holy people are made according to the mind of God (Romans 8:26-7; TIB).

The Spirit of YHWH will rest on you – a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and strength, a spirit of knowledge and reverence for YHWH (Isaiah 11:2; TIB).

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

Speaking the truth

Ruth Kirk

You know our secret thoughts (Psalm 44:21; GNT).

You know the hidden recesses of our heart (Psalm 44:21; TIB).

You know all my thoughts and feelings,
All I say, and all I do.
Everything that’s said to me, Redeemer God,
Is shared with you.

All that hurts, and all that harms me,
Yahweh God, you bear it too,
So, at last, within my darkness,
Shepherd, Saviour, I find you.

You’re the words I leave unspoken,
Fearful I will be despised.
You’re the light within my darkness:
Honesty, the pearl to prize.

Yahweh, help me face my fear,
And openly express my truth.
This, alone, will end my dread,
And heal the wounds of my abuse.

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

Love should always make us tell the truth. Then we will grow in every way and be more like Christ (Ephesians 4:15; CEV).

If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back (Matthew 18:15; NLT).

I’ll say, “Yes”

Ruth Kirk

Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to thy word” (Luke 1:38; KJV).

I say, “Yes”, to darkness, Yahweh,
I accept our silence.

I embrace my desolation,
Though I need your guidance.

Thank you for this darkness, Yahweh:
May your kingdom come.

Thank you for this desolation:
May your will be done. 

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).

References

You are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me (Psalm 31:3; NIV)

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18; NIV).

Please heal

Ruth Kirk

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help? (Psalm 22:1; NLT).

Yahweh God,
Please heal my dread,
And all it carries
In its wake:
Darkness, silence,
Desolation –
Help me,
For your dear Son’s sake.

Lord, let me
Enjoy your presence,
As I used to do
Before:
How am I to live
Without you?
Rescue me, Yahweh,
I implore.

Return, O LORD, and rescue me. Save me because of your unfailing love (Psalm 6:4; NLT).

Should I feel guilty?

Ruth Kirk

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help? Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night you hear my voice, but I find no relief (Psalm 22:1-2; NLT).

Lord,

Should I feel guilty
When you seem so far away?
When I can neither worship you,
Nor see your face, nor pray?

Is it my fault that darkness reigns,
And I feel so alone?
That I have lost your presence,
And my heart has turned to stone?

Am I to blame that faith has failed?
Yahweh, is this a test?
Am I still safely in your hands?
Is it that I’ve transgressed?

Look on me with your mercy, Lord;
Strengthen my failing trust:
You know how small and weak I am –
Nothing at all but dust.

He knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust (Psalm 103:14; NLT).