Introduction
This little book of reflections on the search for God was originally published in February 2016. Having recently updated it, I’m delighted to make it available here on my website. Writing these pieces helped me, so I hope they will also be useful to others.
Please feel free to use, copy, print out, or distribute, any of these prayers. If you include my name and a link to my website, other people will be able to find it, and to contact me.
Ruth Kirk
December 2019
Abbreviations
ESV: English Standard Version
KJV: King James Version
NIV: New International Version
NKJV: New King James Version
NLT: New Living Translation
NRSV: New Revised Standard Version
Acknowledgements
My grateful thanks to Dr. Jules Gomes, for suggesting the inclusion of Bible quotes, and for his encouragement; to my husband, John Woodman, for his endless patience and help; and to my amazing WordPress teacher, Ber Wayde, for her exceptional skill, kindness and professionalism.
1. Keep on seeking
Seek God by following
The path that he reveals:
A path he’s made
Especially for you.
Don’t follow those
Who say they know the way,
And claim their road’s
The only one to God.
Keep seeking him
In solitude and silence,
So he can guide you
On the path you need.
Then you will change and grow
Throughout your life,
By following your inner way
To God.
Keep on seeking, and you will find (Matthew 7:7; NLT).
2. Make room for God
Father,
During silent contemplation,
Please help me
To set all my thoughts aside,
Emptying my mind and heart,
To make more room for you
Within my soul.
Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them (1 John 4:16; NIV).
3. Upside down
Lord,
Waiting for you in silence
Is different every time –
Peaceful, restorative,
Or blissful;
Challenging, alarming,
Or disturbing;
Awesome, inspiring,
Even revelatory –
For when you speak
Our hearts can be transformed,
And lives turned
Upside down.
What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation (Galatians 6:15; NLT).
4. Kindness
What are our lives worth, Lord,
If we’re not kind?
No matter who,
Or what, we are,
Or how we look,
What we possess,
What we achieve,
Or even what we sacrifice:
What are our lives worth, Lord,
If we’re not kind?
Show mercy and kindness to one another (Zechariah 7:9; NLT).
5. Free indeed
Lord,
We’re surrounded
By those who tell us
What they think we ought to be:
What size and shape,
What clothes to wear,
What foods to eat,
And how we should behave.
They even tell us
What we should believe,
Which is incredible!
Instead,
Please help us to discover
And become ourselves,
For then we will be free indeed –
With you.
If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:36; NIV).
6. Seeking you
Lord,
When seeking you,
We don’t need
Special buildings,
Rituals,
Hymns,
Or service sheets –
Unless we find them helpful.
We only need
To look for you
In contemplation,
In the world around us,
Those we meet,
And deep within ourselves.
There is one Lord …who is over all and in all and living through all (Ephesians 4:5-6; NLT).
7. Healing light
Lord,
When I invite you
Into the darkness of my soul,
You meet me there,
Shining your healing light
On all the painful
Hidden aspects
Of my self
That hold me back,
So I can start to change
And grow –
At last.
If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the Lord and rely on your God (Isaiah 50:10; NLT).
8. Paradise
No tears,
Suffering,
Or pain;
No hurt,
Loneliness,
Or grief;
No anger,
Cruelty,
Or death:
Ah,
This must be paradise,
At last!
Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43; NLT).
9. Not worthy
Lord,
I’m not worthy
To be loved,
Yet you adore me.
I’m not worthy
Of forgiveness,
Yet you pardon me.
I’m not worthy
To be healed,
Yet you restore me.
I’m not worthy
Of new life,
Yet you redeem me.
I’m not worthy
To draw near,
Yet you embrace me.
I am not worthy of all the unfailing love and faithfulness you have shown to me (Genesis 32:10; NLT).
10. Meaning
Lord,
Luxuries and treats
Can’t lift my mood
for long.
Fashion and consumer goods
Can’t make my life
worthwhile.
For meaning comes
Through seeking you devotedly,
And loving you
With all my being –
Body, mind and heart,
And soul, and strength.
You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength (Mark 12:30; NLT).
11. Darkness
Lord,
The darkness
That surrounds you
Is my closest friend.
For just as a seed
Grows in the darkness
Of the earth,
So I, too, grow
During the long nights
Of my soul,
As I wait patiently
In the fertile darkness
That surrounds you.
Clouds and thick darkness surround him (Psalm 97:2; NIV).
12. Contemplation
Lord,
I can do nothing on my own:
Please help me now
To contemplate your glory,
For my drifting thoughts
Obliterate your voice,
And the pictures in my mind
Obscure your face;
My small preoccupations
Block your presence;
My anxieties
Shut out your love and grace.
Lord,
I can do nothing on my own –
Please help me now
To contemplate your glory.
The Lord our God has shown us his glory (Deuteronomy 5:24; NIV).
13. Speaking out
Lord,
There is a price to pay
For speaking out.
It’s stressful at the time,
Then afterwards
I have to live
With fearing people’s
Anger and dislike.
But the price of staying silent
Is much worse:
Frustration and resentment,
Feeling powerless,
Low self-esteem,
And, worst of all,
Depression.
We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ (Ephesians 4:15; NLT).
14. Kingdom
Lord God,
You made the earth,
And everything within it,
Giving life to all.
Help us to see you everywhere:
In your created world,
In humankind,
And even in ourselves;
For no matter who we are,
Or where we go,
We are your holy people,
And we stand on holy ground.
He created the earth and everything in it. He gives breath to everyone, life to everyone who walks the earth (Isaiah 42:5; NLT).
15. Christ
Lord Jesus,
Thank you that
The meaning of my life
Lies not in doing,
But in being.
Please help me
As I learn to be myself:
Fully honest
And authentic –
Just like you.
Speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ (Ephesians 4:15; NLT).
16. The rose
Lord,
Today, in quiet contemplation,
I saw a single, perfect rose,
More beautiful
Than any found on earth.
It made me wonder
If your crown was made
Of briars,
Stripped of their leaves
And blooms,
Then twisted roughly
Into shape,
Leaving only thorns
And pain,
Blood, and suffering,
Lord my God –
And death.
Son of man …do not be afraid, through briars and thorns are all around you (Ezekiel 2:6; NIV).
17. Trials
Father,
Thank you for being with me
Every step of the way
Through life.
Please help me
To stay close to you
Each day.
Don’t test me
To my breaking point:
I’ll only let you down.
And when I fail,
Please rescue
And restore me,
For the sake
Of your dear Son,
Our Lord.
Amen.
Come close to God, and God will come close to you (James 4:8; NLT).
18. Challenge
Lord,
Seeking and accepting you
Can be a challenge –
What with your odd appearance,
And unfortunate choice of friends,
Your unfamiliar clothes,
And foreign ways,
Your unconventional lifestyle,
And extreme religious views.
Yet you are waiting to be found
In everyone we meet,
From each of whom
We have so much to learn.
I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me (Matthew 25:45; NLT).
19. Fulfilment
Silence,
Stillness,
Waiting.
Darkness,
Emptiness,
Space.
Light,
Presence,
Worship.
Praise,
Joy,
Peace.
Love,
Union,
Fulfilment.
Whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17; NIV).
20. The kingdom of God
The kingdom of God
Is coming soon!
It’s getting near!
It’s here, amongst us
Now!
But there’s nothing
To see…
Instead,
We need to listen
For your voice,
Open our minds,
And welcome you
Into our lives,
For your kingdom
Is within our hearts
And souls.
The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:20-21; NKJV).
21. Ten short prayers
1. May darkness be
The same as light to me,
Just as it is to you, Lord.
2. With you, my Father,
Nothing goes to waste –
For we can learn
From all that happens,
Good and bad.
3. Lord,
Take me in your arms,
And give me peace,
For I am burdened
By the suffering in our world,
And in my life.
4. May you be born again
In countless hearts today,
Including mine, Lord.
5. Jesus,
When I sit at your feet
In contemplation,
A great silence falls,
In which I worship you.
6. Father,
You are with me
In darkness,
Stillness,
And silence,
So I lack nothing.
7. May I look for you,
Listen to you,
Learn from you,
And live for you
Each day, my Lord.
8. Father,
There’s no comparison at all
Between facing hardship with you,
And facing it without you!
9. Lord,
You are the shining light
In my darkness,
And the still, small voice
In my silence.
10. Father,
In contemplation
There is no I,
Nor You,
But only unity,
And timelessness,
And wordless love.
22. Light
Lord,
How we struggle
With our sorrow,
Suffering, and sin
In this dark world!
May your face
Shine upon us,
So we can walk
In your light,
And follow
Your path of peace,
No matter
What life brings.
I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12; NIV).
23. Soul
Lord,
My soul is part of you,
And you are part of me.
You live within
And through me
Every day.
Please help me to remain in you,
As you remain in me,
For evermore.
At death,
I will return to you
With willing heart.
Thank you
For being part of me,
As I am part of you.
You are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it (1 Corinthians 12:27; NIV).
24. Lord
Lord,
There are days
When you seem
Very far away,
And days when you seem
As close as breathing,
Closer than my heartbeat.
But, in fact,
You never change
At all;
For you’re within me
And around me
All the time,
Filling the world,
And holding my life
In your hands.
In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind (Job 12:10; NIV).
25. Despair
My God, my God,
Have you abandoned me?
Please help me
To find your light
In my darkness,
Your power
In my weakness,
Your voice
In my silence,
And your presence
In my despair.
I am sick with despair (Psalm 35:12; NLT).
26. My soul rejoices
Father,
My soul rejoices,
For the glory, life,
And energy
In all created things
Including me,
Has come from you,
Is part of you,
And will return to you
One day.
The dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7; NIV).
27. Sharing
Lord,
You live within
And through us all.
You’re part of us,
And we are part of you.
So you experience and share
Our joys and sorrows,
Our happiness and pain,
Our life, and death.
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows (Isaiah 53:4; ESV).
28. Heaven
Does contemplation
Bring
A taste
Of heaven?
No sound,
Movement,
Thought,
Or need;
No past,
Future,
Time,
Or place;
No sorrow,
Pain,
Grief,
Or death;
Just light,
Joy,
Peace,
And love, Lord God:
The endless bliss
Of unity with you.
He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain (Revelation 21:4; NLT).
29. Questions
Lord,
When will we grow in wisdom,
And seek peace?
When will we beat our swords
Into ploughshares,
And our spears
Into pruning hooks?
When will we give up
Our guns and bombs,
Our tanks, our fighter jets,
And warships?
When will we choose
To seek peace with one another,
Bringing our futile conflicts
To an end, at last?
They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more (Isaiah 2:4; ESV).
30. God’s glory
Father,
You’re more glorious
Than the moon.
Your radiance
Is brighter
Than the stars.
Your light streams out
From everything you make,
Including me.
So, may I, too,
Shine in your kingdom
Today.
I ask this
For your dear Son’s sake,
Amen.
The righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom (Matthew 13:43; NLT).
31. Equality
Lord,
In our relationships
There can be
No justice,
Happiness,
Freedom,
Peace,
Or love
Without equality –
Except
In our relationship
With you.
All of you are equal as brothers and sisters (Matthew 23:8; NLT).
32. Exploring
Father,
People sometimes want to tell me
What I should believe,
Instead of letting me
Discover you myself.
But you are far beyond
Our understanding;
Even the wisest of us all
Can glimpse you only dimly.
Please help me
To be on my guard
With those who claim
To know ‘the truth’,
So I can explore
The paths you show me,
For myself.
The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life” (Psalm 32:8; NLT).
33. Work
Lord God,
When I feel overwhelmed
By everything I need to do,
Remind me that
The only work
You want from me
Is to believe
In the One
You sent.
Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent” (John 6:29; NLT).
34. Ambassador
Father,
Please help me
To represent your kingdom,
Just as an ambassador
Represents the ruler
Of their native land,
To which they will return
At last,
One day.
Amen.
We are Christ’s ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20; NLT).
35. Friends and enemies
Lord,
Some people
Are easy to love,
But others
Seem impossible!
Help me to love
Both friends and enemies,
Praying for them equally
With all my heart.
Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! (Matthew 5:44; NLT).
36. Peace
Lord,
Please gather me
In your arms,
With all my worries
And loose ends,
My sins,
And flaws,
My failures,
And shortcomings,
My suffering,
And pain.
Gather me up,
And hold me tight,
And give me
Peace.
The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you (Deuteronomy 33:27; NLT).
37. Journey
During contemplation,
Our souls go on
A journey of discovery
Whose only goal is you:
The Father,
Son,
And Holy Spirit,
Living in us all.
The kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21; NKJV).
38. You alone
No lesser spirits
In all living things
I see,
But you alone.
No other deity
In earth and sky
I glimpse,
But you alone.
No sacred being
Far away
I seek,
But you alone.
For you create,
Live through,
And fill
The universe,
So everything is holy –
Charged, connected,
And united, Lord,
By you.
There is one Lord …who is over all and in all and living through all (Ephesians 4:5-6; NLT).
39. Enough
Lord,
I’m walking in the dark
Without a ray of light,
Expecting nothing from you today
In prayer –
No light,
Or warmth,
Or peace;
No sense of overwhelming love,
Or care.
Yet I trust you,
And I know you’re close beside me,
So waiting on you
In stillness,
Silence,
Solitude,
And darkness
Is enough.
If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the Lord and rely on your God (Isaiah 50:10; NLT).
40. Free
Lord,
You heal our souls:
Forgiving us,
Setting us free,
And giving us life
To the full.
Thank you
That we don’t all have to
Think, believe,
Feel, say, or do
The same –
No matter what
Those in ‘authority’
May claim!
If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:36; NIV).
41. Transcendent God
Father,
You transcend
Both light and darkness,
Good and evil,
Life and death,
All time and space.
Your thoughts
Are not like our thoughts,
And your ways
Are not at all like ours.
How great
And how mysterious
You are:
Beyond imagination,
Far beyond our grasp.
How great is God – beyond our understanding! (Job 36:26; NIV).
42. More of God
Lord God,
May there be less of me,
With all my faults
And weaknesses,
And more of you within me
Every day,
Until we live as one
In our shared love.
Then death will hold
No fears for me:
I’ll leave this body
Far behind,
And fully reunite
With your great heart
And soul,
And mind.
God will redeem me from the realm of the dead; he will surely take me to himself (Psalm 49:15; NIV).
43. Like God
Father God,
I know this sounds ridiculous –
But you created me
To be like you.
May your Spirit help me
To follow Christ’s example
In all my thoughts,
And words,
And deeds,
For then my life
Will be completely filled
With love.
God said, “Let us make human beings in our own image, to be like us” (Genesis 1:26; NLT).
44. Keep on seeking
Father,
Even if I have to live
In spiritual darkness,
Never hearing your voice,
Or experiencing your presence,
I’m going to keep on
Seeking you with joy,
Until I see you face to face,
Beyond my death.
Keep on seeking, and you will find (Matthew 7:7; NLT).
May all who search for you be filled with joy (Psalm 70:4; NLT).
The dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7; NIV).
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12; NRSV).