Courage

Ruth Kirk


Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said.
“Take courage. I am here!” (Matthew 14:27; NLT).

1. Lord,
Please give us courage,
To face all life may bring:
Heartbreak, sickness, hunger,
For you are still our King.

2. Lord,
Please give us courage
To bear all that may come:
Loneliness and worry,
Until this plague is done.

3. Lord,
Please give us courage
To turn to you, and pray,
Trusting in your mercy,
And serving you each day.

4. Lord,
Please give us courage
And hope, for you are great;
Forgive us all our sins,
And help us hold fast to our faith.

References

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

2. This is my intense suffering, but I must bear it (Jeremiah 10:19; CSB).

3. I plead for the Lord’s mercy (Psalm 142:1; NLT).

4. Put your hope in God (Psalm 42:5; NIV).

Having hope will give you courage (Job 11:18; NLT)

I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts (Isaiah 57:15; NLT).

Hold fast and repent (Revelation 3:3; NKJV).

Covid-19 (#2 of 2 linked poems)

Ruth Kirk

1. This plague won’t end
Until we turn to God,
Wanting to change our goal
From looks, to love.

2. This plague won’t end
Until we turn to God,
Willing to shift our hopes
From wealth, to love.

3. This plague won’t end
Until we turn to God,
Ready to move our hearts
From hate, to love.

4. This plague won’t end
Until we turn to God,
Learning to switch
From selfishness, to love.

5. This plague won’t end
Until we’ve understood,
And changed our way of life on earth –
For good!

References

1. Repent of your sins and turn to God (Matthew 3:2; NLT).

People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7; NLT).

2. God said to him, “You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?” (Luke 12:20; NLT).

3. You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbour’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! (Matthew 5:44; NLT).

Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you (Luke 6:27; NLT).

4. Then he [Jesus] 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).

5. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance (1 Corinthians 13:4-7; NLT)

You have shown me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever (Psalm 16:11; NLT).

Covid-19 (#1 of 2 linked poems)

Ruth Kirk

1. This plague won’t end
Until we start to change,
Moving our main concern
From get,
To give.

2. This plague won’t end
Until we start to change,
Shifting our aim
From greed,
To how we live.

3. This plague won’t end
Until we start to change,
Turning our main resolve
From keep,
To share.

4. This plague won’t end
Until we start to change,
Swapping our main intent
From wealth,
To care.

5. This plague won’t end
Until we start to change,
Switching our main desire
From self,
To love.

6. This plague won’t end
Until we’ve understood,
And learned to change
Our way of life –
For good!

Trust

Ruth Kirk

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

1. Father,
May I trust in you,
No matter how I feel.

2. Father,
May I cling to you,
When life is an ordeal.

3. Father,
May I walk with you,
And share your warm embrace.

4. Father,
May I rest in you,
Until I see your face.

References

1. Trust in God (John 14:1; NLT).

2. Serve only the Lord your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him (Deuteronomy 13:4; NLT).

Do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed (1 Peter 4:12-13; NIV).

3. O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8; 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).

4. My soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him (Psalm 62:5; NIV).

Now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12; NRSV).

Gifts

Ruth Kirk

Give thanks for everything to God the Father
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ
(Ephesians 5:20; NLT).

1. Thank you for your gift of faith,
Which helps me, Lord, to pray.

2. Thank you for your gift of hope,
Which lifts my heart each day.

3. Thank you for your gift of love,
Which makes my soul rejoice.

4. Thank you for your gift of truth:
Your still, small, inner voice.

5. Thank you for your gift of time,
Whatever trials may come.

6. Thank you for eternal life,
Your gift, through Christ, your Son.

References

1. It is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8; NIV).

You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it (Matthew 21:22; NLT).

2. Christ Jesus […] gives us hope (1 Timothy 1:1; NLT).

Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! (Psalm 42:5; NLT).

3. Each day the Lord pours out his unfailing love upon me (Psalm 42:8; NLT).

My heart rejoices in the Lord (1 Samuel 2:1; NLT).

4. Jesus answered, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me“ (John 14:6; NLT).

After the fire [came] a still small voice (1 Kings 19:12; NKJV).

5. He gives breath to everyone, life to everyone who walks the earth (Isaiah 42:5; NLT).

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

6. God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16; NLT).

The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23; NLT).

Service

Ruth Kirk

1. Help me to serve you,
Lord, my God,
In every way I can,
However small;

2. And may I grow
More like you, Lord –
The Saviour of the world,
Who loves us all.

References

1. Love the Lord your God, walk in all his ways, obey his commands, hold firmly to him, and serve him with all your heart and all your soul (Joshua 22:5; NLT).

Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all” (Mark 9:35; NIV).

2. 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).

The Father sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world (1 John 4:14; NLT).

He loves with unfailing love (Psalm 117:2; NLT).

Death isn’t a disaster

Ruth Kirk

When our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die,
this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory”
(1 Corinthians 15:54-5; NLT).

1. Death isn’t a disaster:
It’s the final trip we make
When our exile here is done,
The road that all must take.

2. Death isn’t a disaster,
For it brings us back to God
Along the way that all must walk:
The path that Jesus trod.

3. Death isn’t a disaster;
Whether life is short or long
It brings us to his Kingdom,
Where the weak will be made strong.

4. Death isn’t a disaster;
When our pilgrimage is through,
It brings us to eternal life:
United, Lord, with you.

References

1. I am your guest – a traveller passing through, as my ancestors were before me (Psalm 39:12; NLT).

2. He [Jesus] humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross (Philippians 2:8; NLT).

3. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever (Revelation 21:4; NLT).

4. The dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7; NIV).