love, Prayer, rejoice, thank, unity

Rejoice, give thanks and pray

 

The Lord our God is over all,
For he makes all there is.
He dwells in all; he lives through all;
And everything is his.

All things are one with you, Lord God,
You give us life each day,
So may we constantly rejoice,
Give thanks to you, and pray.

The Lord our God is water, air,
Mountains, skies and seas;
The plants that grow to feed his flocks,
All creatures, crops, and trees.

All things are one with you, Lord God,
You give us life each day,
So may we constantly rejoice,
Give thanks to you, and pray.

The Lord our God is earth and fire,
Flesh, and bones, and blood;
He dwells in us, and shares our pain
With deep, unfailing love.

All things are one with you, Lord God,
You give us life each day,
So may we constantly rejoice,
Give thanks to you, and pray.

In every thought, in every word,
In everything we do,
May we grow more like Christ, his Son,
Who lives within us, too.

All things are one with you, Lord God,
You give us life each day,
So may we constantly rejoice,
Give thanks to you and pray.

 

References

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

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).

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

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

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

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

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

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body, mind, heart, soul, realisation, important, prayer, contemplation,

Your temple

When Jesus said, “this temple,” he meant his own body
(John 2:21; NLT).

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

 

Lord,
You seem a long way off,
But you’re not far at all,
For our bodies are your courtyard,
So you hear us when we call.

Lord,
You seem reserved, remote,
But you’re not far away,
For our minds are your house of prayer,
Where we can talk each day.

Lord,
You seem withdrawn, removed,
But you’re not very far,
For our hearts are your temple,
And the door remains ajar.

Lord,
You seem concealed, cut off,
But we are not alone,
For our souls are your sanctuary,
And you, the cornerstone.

 

References

O Lord, why do you stand so far away? (Psalm 10:1; NLT).

He is not far from any one of us (Acts 17:27; NLT).

Don’t you realise that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you? (1 Corinthians 3:19; NLT). 

Praise him, you who serve the Lord, you who serve in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God (Psalm 135:1; NLT).

He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears (Psalm 18:6; NLT).

My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations (Isaiah 56:7; NLT).

God talks with man (Deuteronomy 5:24; DBY).

You are the temple of the living God (Luke 17:21; NKJV).

I saw a door standing open in heaven (Revelation 4:1; NLT).

Take this seriously. The Lord has chosen you to build a Temple as his sanctuary (1 Chronicles 28:10; NLT).

You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple (1 Peter 2:4; NLT).

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pain, Prayer, share, suffering, life, courage, help, bear, illness, mental, physical,

Life brings suffering (2)

 

Today’s prayer links back to yesterday’s. Whilst the previous one was about sharing the sufferings of Christ, today’s focuses on sharing the sufferings of others.

 

Father,

Life brings suffering
And pain.

May we bear it, learn from it,
And gain

In empathy and love,
So we can share

The suffering of all,
And show we care.

 

References

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

When your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow (James 1:3; NLT).

Mourn with those who mourn (Romans 12:15; NRSV).

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

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Prayer, suffering, life, courage, help, bear, illness, mental, physical,

Life brings suffering (1)

Today and tomorrow I will again post two linked prayers. The first is about sharing Christ’s suffering. The second will be about sharing the sufferings of others.

 

Father,

Life brings suffering
And pain.

Christ himself knew anguish,
And was slain.

May I share his trials,
Learn, and grow,

Just as he did, Lord,
So long ago.

 

References

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

Being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground (Luke 22:44; NIV).

If we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering (Romans 8:17; NLT).

When your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow (James 1:3; NLT).

Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favour with God and all the people (Luke 2:52; NLT).

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love, Personal growth, faith, prayer, contemplation, love, oneness,

God our Father

 

God our Father,
Holy One,
You love us all
And sent your Son.

Mary, Mother,
Holy Maid,
You heard God’s message
And obeyed.

Jesus, Saviour,
Holy Child,
Through you all things
Are reconciled.

Spirit, Helper,
Holy Dove,
You unify us
In God’s love.

 

References

This is real love – not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins (1 John 4:40; NLT).

Mary said, Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word (Luke 1:38; RSV).

God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself (Colossians 1:19-20; NLT).

We have all been baptised into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13; NLT).

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change, death, exile, oneness, Prayer, resurrection

You give us birth

 

Father God,
You give us birth,
Our chance to live and grow,
Becoming more like Christ, your Son,
Born here so long ago.

Father God,
You give us life,
Our chance to change and learn,
Becoming more like Christ, your Son,
To whom we gladly turn.

Father God,
You give us death,
Our chance to be made new,
Becoming more like Christ your Son,
Who reigns in heaven with you.

Father God,
You give us joy
In heaven, with your Son,
So we may grasp your deepest truth –
That you, and all, are One.

 

References

He himself gives life and breath to everything (Acts 17:25; NLT).

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

Grow to maturity (2 Corinthians 13:11; NLT).

Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24; NLT).

The Lord gives both death and life (1 Samuel 2:6; NLY).

God [..] gives life to the dead (Romans 4:17; NLT).

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; NLT).

The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever (Revelation 11:15; NLT).

A great reward awaits you in heaven (Matthew 5:12; NLT).

I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one – as you are in me, Father, and I am in you (John 17:21; NLT).

There is one Lord […] who is over all and in all and living through all (Ephesians 4:5-6; NLT).

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Personal growth, faith, prayer, contemplation, love, oneness,, unity

I love you, Father

 

To say, “I love you, Father”,
Is the same as, “You love me”,
For I am one with you, Lord God,
And you are one with me.

To say, “We love you, Father”,
Is the same as, “You love us”,
For we are one with you, Lord God,
And you are one with us.

To say, “They love you, Father”,
Is the same as, “You love them”,
For they are one with you, Lord God,
And you are one with them.

And though we don’t all love you, Lord,
We know you love us all,
And that you wait for us to turn
To you, and hear your call.

 

References

I love you, Lord (Psalm 18:1; NLT).

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

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

I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one (John 17:22; NLT).

Anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love (1 John 4:8; NLT).

The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation (Psalm 145:9; NLT).

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 Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion (Isaiah 30:18; NLT).

Repent of your sins and turn to God (Matthew 4:17; NLT).

Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts (Hebrews 4:7; NIV).

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