Ruach Breath Of Life

When we posted the draft of this, Soundcloud thought we were using a recording from one of the best ensembles of the world! Much praise to the musicians who were led on the oboe by Thomas Herzog, in this lovely rendering of Mozoart's oboe quartet. First of all this is a piece to celebrate the glories of God's creation. He could have created one fern and one tree, and that would have been an amazing feat - but He created thousands! The words are also a celebration of the glories of God's creation, but also a poignant reflection of the extreme variety of experience people are having in these uncertain times - from those enjoying deep friendships to those whose relationships feel as though they are spinning out of control. Likewise for those embarking on fresh adventures or racing from appointment to appointment whilst others are benumbed by boredom, and who would welcome the chance to come on board with some fresh venture.' There are times in life of extreme suffering, but God also wants us to delight in

Words and music - Carol Sampson Jesus - You are the Way, You are the Living God Jesus - You lead the way, and guide me by Your word Jesus - You are the Truth, You are God revealed to man Jesus - You are the Truth, You fulfil the Father's plan Jesus - You are the Light, you overflow in me Jesus - You are the Life, given so abundantly Therefore God has exalted You to the highest place So that every knee should bow and every tongue confess That Jesus - You are the Lord. let every tongue proclaim Jesus - You are the Lord, for ever more the same Yes Jesus- You are the One Who died to set me free Jesus - You are the One who makes my life complete.

Music by Francis Cummings Samuel Johnson urged people “to keep their friendships in good repair.” So here is an invitation to pray for the friends the Lord places on our hearts. Lord, the love that is burning in my heart today is so strong for the flagship friendships that You have taken such care to shape. As Your psalmist declared, the saints in the land are the glorious ones in whom You delight, So I lift these loved ones to You now. SELAH From time to time these God-given partnerships dip from sight below the horizon, but You are always seeking fresh ways to bring about deeper union. And just as officers on a warship’s bridge know their chain of authority within a combat zone, so You give special authority to those who worship in love and trust before Your throne. Let our prayers be wind and Spirit-blown – dethroning hindering powers; and may our e mails, texts and calls have the stamp and seal of Heaven on them all. The flow You direct between us is so precious, Lord. Protect and preserve us when

Music by Linda Louisa 1 Come down, O Love divine! seek out this soul of mine and visit it with your own ardour glowing; O Comforter, draw near, within my heart appear, and kindle it, your holy flame bestowing. 2 There let it freely burn till earthly passions turn to dust and ashes in its heat consuming; and let your glorious light shine ever on my sight, and make my pathway clear, by your illuming. 3 Let holy charity my outward vesture be, and lowliness become my inner clothing; true lowliness of heart which takes the humbler part, and for its own shortcomings weeps with loathing. 4 And so the yearning strong with which the soul will long shall far surpass the power of human telling; for none can guess its grace till we become the place in which the Holy Spirit makes his dwelling.

Improvised music. Jack Hayford put it well when he said, “Where we are prepared to travail in prayer, life comes forth, and the kingdom of God extends its triumph,” but the battle is intense, and the devil’s weapon is a magnifying glass! He focuses it on a patch of dried out grass and then ignites some smouldering fire in our lives, affrighting souls that have not learnt to fight with visions dire – or exciting simple souls with visions far too bright. When the Lord inspires some new venture, we can be sure the enemy will do his best to deter us. He’ll either tell us that what we are attempting is misguided and impossible, Or that we are the wrong people to be doing it; And if that doesn’t work, he’ll suggest we’ve got the timing wrong! Now there are times when we must hold some vision in our heart until the Lord gives the specific commission to act on it: but that’s very different from the enemy’s attempt to postpone it indefinitely. Lord, You know exactly how we are wired; and when some idea or initia

Music by Francis Cummings Show me your ways o Lord Teach me to walk in your righteous paths Turn my eyes from worthless things Let me not be put to shame My eyes are ever on You because my hope is in You To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul In You, O Lord, I put my trust Remember not the sins of my youth But lead me in the Way Everlasting.

Prayer for the Nations Music by Linda Louisa Lord Jesus, the crowd cheered Your triumphal entry into Jerusalem, but You wept; for You knew that countless souls would lose their lives as the result of the nation rejecting the hour of her visitation. Unaware of the centrality of Your desire to prepare them for eternity, the people quickly turned when Jesus failed to meet their immediate expectations. How do we ourselves respond when You do not appear to meet our hopes and dreams? Help us be willing to come to You on Your terms, not on ours – and so avoid falling into bitterness in a land where so few pay anything more than lip service to the King of Kings. Lord, we remember how earnestly You worked to rescue Germany from the Nazi tyranny enabling her to take her place once more among the nations – and how You helped America and South Africa emerge beyond the lure of the racist call. We celebrate Your grace and truth that have achieved so much, and ask for nations still skewed in the thrall of long hel

Prayer for the Persecuted Church Marcello first movement oboe concerto in D minor I have given them Your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth. Deep in his cell, Watchmen Nee fell to his knees to beseech Your grace; and beyond the enormous emotional trauma You dispelled great darkness and moved in power throughout the land of China; while far below ground Richard Wurmbrand resisted intense bleakness and filled the blackness with the sound of Your praise. Refusing to be caged, such prisoners for the Lord remained fully engaged, enabling You to bring about a harvest of the brave. As they sighed and soared in spirit, they saw beyond their prison walls and prepared the way for all that You are doing today. Because Your word tells us to remember those wh

The Spirit and the Bride say "Come". cop con When we come together, everyone should be free to bring a hymn, a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation – all for the strengthening of the church. So many leaders, of churches, as of nations, have but one way of responding. Father, grant to many the courage to give your Spirit room to move Rather than playing it safe, and chafing sensitive souls by over tight controls, the vision to draw people in, thus releasing fresh new roles and giftings. Lord, You delight in the deeply ordered but also in the far more experimental, in which rich times of worship interweave with the gently instrumental. Break open the treasure troves of creativity that hidebound churches have all but mislaid – and may we as leaders have the courage to search and follow where You lead. We pray now for leaders as they come to mind, first in the Church and then in the world to develop a more participatory vision; and for those whose confidence has been knocked b

Selfless Prayer Marcello - Adagio, Oboe concerto in D minor There are certain species of African ants that eat the insides out of wooden furniture. The chairs and tables look alright, but the termites have done their worst, causing them to burst apart when anything is placed on them. Many lives appear strong, and even stately on the outside, yet are eaten alive on the inside by pride. Since the attributes You most prize arise more from our character than our gifting: forgive us those many things we do that grate like a rusty gate. Shift our focus from being too narrowly inward, lest our unseen faults and thoughtlessness mar our days and prove a snare to many others, without our even being aware. Catch us these boring ants, and make our character more authentically sound – especially for those of us who easily get cross. Subdued by stress or chronic complaint, or inflated by too high an opinion of ourselves we end up sounding increasingly doleful and run the risk of robbing our soul of brave and cheerf

Prayer for the Land Music by Dvorak My grief is beyond healing. My heart is broken. Listen to the weeping of My people. It can be heard all across the land. Has the Lord abandoned Jerusalem? Is her King no longer there? “Oh why have they angered me with their carved idols and worthless gods,” asks the Lord. I weep for the hurt of people. I am stunned and silent, mute with grief. Is there no medicine in Gilead. Is there no physician there? Why is there no healing for the wounds of my people. Oh that my eyes were a fountain of tears. I would weep day and night for my people who have been slaughtered. Therefore the Lord says, “See I will melt them in a crucible and test them like metal. What else can I do with them? Who is wise enough to understand all this? Who has been instructed by the Lord and can explain it to others? Why has the land been ruined so that no one even dares to travel through it?” The Lord replies, “This has happened because my people have abandoned the instructions I gave them. They

Peace, be still . Words and music by Carol Sampson. Darkness falls across the sky as the day begiins to fade. Jesus wants us to cross over to the other side - so we all get into the boat thinking it's gonna be alright. We see our master resting in the stillness of the night. But something stirs the peaceful scene so very unexpectedly. The lashing wind a mighty gale. We're so afraid, our hearts they fail. So we cry out 'oh Master don't You care that we're gonna drown. Can't You do something to save us - 'cos this ship is going down?' 'Peace be still,' Jesus cries and the storm quickly subsides. 'Oh you of little faith, why do you fear? You ought to know by now I'm always here when you need me. Peace, be still. When the storms of life surround - peace be still.' Still today, just like them, fear grips the heart of men. Because in our boats so tossed and torn, we find it hard to bear the storm so we cry out in desperation 'God where can You be?' If we take the time to listen He'll whisper quietly, 'Peace b

Gethsemane Music by Linda Louisa From time to time some of us go through Gethsemane experiences, not to substitute for Christ’s original sacrifice, but somehow to extend its scope in every generation. Such experiences not only make us eager to get to Heaven: they prepare us to meet Him there. Lord Jesus, although some might foolishly claim that You only suffered pain and shame for a few short hours, the truth is rather that from the moment Gabriel declared that a sword would pierce Your mother’s heart, Gethsemane’s haze overshadowed even the most carefree days. So certain they were right, the indignant Scribes and Pharisees poured out their spite on those who begged You to save their sight. Quite failing to appreciate that You had come to set their captives free, they sought to shun Your light. Even so will those who live and move in heavenly freedom be despised by some, and loved by others, for salt is both irritant and preservative. Inspire in us such fulsome hope that even when we are groping in the

Words and music by Carol Sampson I don't know all the answers but I know that God is faithful. I don't know all the answers but I know that He is true. This trial that you're going through is tough and very scary. But you will feel the arms of Love that hold on tight to you. Yes you will. yes you will. I don't know all the answers but I know that we don't need to. We've just got to trust that every word God says is true. And battles leave us bruised - hope hangs like a thread....this dark night of your soul will see the sun rise once again. Yes it will. Yes it will. Because underneath the Everlasting Arms are holding you. They're carrying you. Underneath the Everlasting Arms are keeping you from falling, time and time again. Underneath the Everlasting Arms - they're holding you and carrying your pain. I don't know all the answers but I know that you're so loved. A precious jewel, a treasure and the apple of God's eye. I don't know all the answers but I know He holds you closely. And whispers softly to y

The Upside Down Kingdom Music by Linda Louisa So many of the best things God does turn worldly standards upside down: The last shall be first, the weak strong, and the meek will inherit the earth. When everything feels strange, and makes no kind of sense, remember how the Lord has turned so many dilemmas around in the past. He delights in sending marvellous deliverances – even when He chooses to hide behind the event and remain anonymous. Lord, there is much I do not understand right now, but You who gave fins to fish and wings to birds, always have things in mind for me to do; and even a mystery is only a mystery until revelation makes it part of Your living history. Since it is not so much rules that I must follow as the willingness to seek and be surprised; grant me the time and energy I need to attend to such duties as You call me to – and put certain other things aside. My richest awareness of You catches me unawares, but often disappears within the hour, whereas some trials last for months if not

Music by Linda Louisa It is tragic when believers view the world through a frame of their own making, rather than in the light of God’s self-revelation in His Word and through the ages. When John the Baptist sought reassurance that Jesus really was the Promised One, Jesus pointed him not to doctrines and dogma set in stone but to the living witness of His awesome power. Forgive us, Lord, for all the ways in which we shrink You to fit our own small ideas. May our world view expand to embrace the reality of who You really are, and to proclaim the fulness of Your kingdom. Lord, we are moving towards the place where we worship before Your throne, free from all the particles that sully the flow of Your rainfall. Drench and quench each one of us in the unending stream of Your waterfall. Let the water of life flow out to all we are concerned for, Yes, let all who hear these words and music moisten dry parched lips and quench their thirst in You as they find and follow Your Spirit’s leading. Sluice away the c

Benediction Music by Linda Louisa Lord, If there is any theme You would have us develop, any dream envelop; if there is any person You would have us visit, or cup of suffering You would have us drain; any truth You wish to make explicit, any terrain claim by Your Spirit, then stretch out Your hand to achieve these holy purposes. Lord, I place this trusted friend in the care of healing love. I pray that You will lead him every minute of his day, and as I carry him in my heart, alert me when he stands in special need of grace, so that he may make the most of every chance that You direct His way. Bless, cherish and embolden him to be all that You can make him be. And Lord, I place my precious friend in the care of Love eternal. Place her like a seal over my heart, for love is as strong as death, burning like a blazing fire that many waters cannot quench. Thank You for all the love she brings, and all the things we do together; all the service she performs for You. Help me carry her in my heart, and lift her

Marcello 1st movement oboe concerto in D minor We focus so much of our energy on our external appearance; how we are coming across, what we are wearing and so on. As a dear friend used to say, ‘If we could just get that amount down by a few percent, it would leave so much more room for the Lord to work.’ We can’t afford to underestimate how much effort the powers of darkness put into distracting us. The devil knows how to spin a plausible yarn, and how to level his guns at us. It takes courage to call his bluff, and to realise that these guns may not be loaded – or, if they are, that the Lord can still deflect and protect us. This is serious spiritual warfare. Lord, we want to ask that You will help us discern what is our task and what is Yours and to really know the difference. For this will help us to be clear when it is right to take steps to defend ourselves, and when we can safely leave You to do all the defending for us. Provide close confidants with whom we can pour out our hearts, without ne

Waterfall by Ruach Breath of Life

O Lord, there are so few in love with You So few to worship You, Whose hearts touch Yours in purity and prayer and Lord, lead us on high upon the heights and take us down into the valley that we may worship You that we may worship You O Lord our God, your holy love is spurned and righteousness despised. So let our hearts be filled with love for You And Lord, lead us on high upon the heights and take us down into the valley that we may worship You, that we may worship You. O Father, we give ourselves to You accept our heart's desire. May we be true and just in all we do and Lord lead us on high upon the heights and take us down into the valley that we may worship You that we may worship You. O Lord, there are so few in love with You so few to worship You. Whose hearts touch Yours in purity and prayer, and Lord, lead us on high upon the heights and take us down into the valley that we may worship You that we may worship You. Written by Robert Weston in 1983 with Linda Entwistle (2019) and Colin Owen (2020)