Podcast by Ruach Breath of Life
Through the grace of God, the power of His Spirit and the hard work of those who have laboured to make Christ known, the gospel has spead from one community to another all around the world. You and I are invited into the Kingdom of the King of Kings, to honour, love and serve the great King who has passed triumphant through the grave, and before whom all Creation will one day bow. This is our deepest joy and our highest destiny. How can we not love and honour Him with all our hearts, and for His sake surrender everything else – even though many all around us choose to bar their hearts against Him. Whether we are privileged to be part of a strong fellowship, or more of a lone voice in a sea of unbelief, here is a beautiful song I first heard in Oxfordshire, and that lifts our heart to seek and worship Him. Having been unable to track the composer down, the piece must remain for the time being ‘Cop con'. I would be grateful to hear from anyone who might have information about it. May this lovely song lift your hearts and keep you focused on the Lord Himself. Vocals - Megan Topper Violin - Francis Cummings Flute - Nicola Gerrard Cello - Jo Garcia Keys - Christiane von Albrecht Guitar - David Booth
My love is like a red, red rose by Ruach Breath of Life
Megan Topper takes the lead in singing this beautiful and ever popular ancient Irish rendering of the Christmas story. She is accompanied by Shirley Richards, Christiane Mueller, Jo Garcia on strings and by Christiane von Albrecht on keyboard.
Many radio stations and apps offer the chance to ‘relax and unwind' with peace-inducing music and sounds – and such things definitely have their place, including within the Ruach Breath of Life Ministries. But many situations require us to ‘vent' and cry out to the Lord for His power to break through. And for that, what we want are not smooth and soothing pieces, but those that are decidedly sharp and ‘spiky'! When we invited our dear musician friends to record the opening movement of Vivaldi's ‘Winter' concerto from the Four Seasons, it was because we sensed that this is a piece that will help us respond to circumstances that rouse the godly passion and righteous anger within us. Sometimes, it is necessary to cry out for the ‘storm of the LORD' to come swirling in, and His anger to ‘fully accomplish the purposes of His heart,' as the Lord declares through Jeremiah. (Jer. 23:19-20) How would the Lord have you pray for the situations and injustices you are aware of? May this music help you find ways to give voice to these things – and may the God of breakthrough come as you do so! Many thanks to Susanne Herzog, Shirley Richards Anne Seidler, Gabriele Kröhnert, Peter Richards and Alexander Koderich for this wonderful recording. https://on.soundcloud.com/Un1bFkNXJGN483tbU5
'The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.' (Jn. 1:5) In the opening movement of Vivaldi's powerful Winter concerto* we hear the sharp and strident sounds of a storm, prompting us to cry out to the Lord both for protection and for His justice to prevail in many challenging situations. This second movement offers a different perspective of winter. A lovely and lyrical violin sings over busy pizzicato (plucked) strings. Winter brings more than its share of icy storms and other hazards, but it also brings scenes of astonishingly beautiful crystalline transparency. May the Lord shed the light of His clarity and presence on many who find themselves either in the midst of a storm, or bowed down in unrelenting dreariness. 'As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is My word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.' (Is. 55:10-11)
Never has there been an angel bringing better or more important news to humankind! Celebrate the Christmas story in this lovely rendition of this folk-Basque Carol, which itself was based on an ancient Latin hymn. It is lovely - and thank you so much, dear musicians: Julia and Thomas Herzog (woodwind), Susanne Herzog, Anne Seidel, Shirley Richards, Gabriele Kröhnert, Alex Koderisch (Strings) and Peter Richards (keys) 1 The angel Gabriel from heaven came, his wings as drifted snow, his eyes as flame; "All hail," said he to meek and lowly Mary, "most highly favored maiden." Gloria! 2 "I come from heav'n to tell the Lord's decree: a blessed virgin mother you shall be. Your Son shall be Immanuel, by seers foretold, most highly favored maiden." Gloria! 3 Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head; "To me be as it pleases God," she said. "My soul shall laud and magnify his holy name." Most highly favored maiden, Gloria! 4 Of her, Immanuel, the Christ, was born In Bethlehem, all on a Christmas morn, and Christian folk throughout the world will ever say, "Most highly favored maiden." Gloria!
In 1752 the Moravian preacher and minister John Cennick wrote a hymn called 'Lo he comes with countless trumpets' based on Revelation 1:7, referring to Jesus coming with the clouds in such a way that every eye will see Him. Six years later in 1758, Charles Wesley, the prolific composer of over 6500 hymns, substantially revised the piece to make it what it remains to this day: one of the best loved and most anointed of all Anglican hymns, cram full of Biblical references. It was first published that same year in John and Charles Wesley's 'Hymns of Intercession for all Mankind', a publication that sought to honour Paul's command in 1 Timothy 2:1: ‘I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men'. Amongst the forty hymns in that volume can be found hymns for monarchs (George II and Frederick the Great), institutions (courts, parliament, the army and navy, universities), childbirth, young children, prisoners and captives, widows, ‘our Enemies, Persecutors and Slanderers', and ‘our unconverted Relations' - as well as praying for those caught up in theological tangle, such as ‘Arians, Socianians (Unitarians), Deists and Pelagians.' for some of those we can substitute modern heresies! This exultant rendering led into an extended improvisation that became a beautiful and intimate worship song without words, including a remembrance of 'When I survey the wondrous cross,' and a cello solo that Jo Garcia played, just a couple of weeks before she went to join the Lord in glory. This is the full version of the words. Lo! he comes with clouds descending, once for favoured sinners slain; thousand thousand saints attending hail the King who comes again. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! God appears, on earth to reign. 2. Every eye shall now behold him, robed in awesome majesty; those who mocked, despised and sold him, pierced and nailed him to the tree, deeply wailing, deeply wailing, deeply wailing, shall the true Messiah see. 3. Those deep wounds of cross and passion still his dazzling body bears, cause of endless exultation to his ransomed worshippers: with what wonder, with what wonder, with what wonder, we shall see those glorious scars! 4. Now redemption, long expected, see with solemn joy appear: saints, whose faith this world rejected, meet their Saviour in the air. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! See the day of God appear. 5. Yes, Amen! let all adore you high on your eternal throne! Saviour, take the power and glory, claim the kingdom for your own. Come, Lord Jesus! Come, Lord Jesus! Come, Lord Jesus! Everlasting God, come down! Enjoy and worship the coming King!
A few years ago we released a beautiful sung version of the 9th century hymn by the Frankish Benedictine poet-theologian-abbot, Rabanus Maurus, who became archbishop of Mainz. The tune is a great example of Gregorian chant, and dates from a few decades later about 1000. It is sure to bless you! * Recently, I have found myself reflecting on the saintly life of Giuseppe Sarto, the barefooted country boy who remained a humble and holy man throughout his life, and rose, much to his surprise(!) to become Pope Pius X in 1903. Giuseppe had a particular heart to develop the role of music in the heart of the Catholic church, and has blessed so many by reintroducing the beauties of Gregorian chant. As early as 1911 the Lord warned him that a Great War was going to break out, which caused him immense distress. He did everything he could to plead with the European powers who were at odds with each other to humble themselves and to step back from careering down the path that would ultimately see 37,000,000 soldiers and civilians killed or wounded during that great war. He himself died in August 1914, many say of a broken heart, knowing that their pride would not permit them to back down.** Some years I asked Geth Griffith to prepare an instrumental version of this ancient hymn for us to pray along with. This was the result. You might like to refer to the words in this mid nineteenth century translation by Edward Caswall as you listen to it. https://hymnary.org/text/come_holy_ghost_creator_blest May I suggest that you then listen again and pray as the Spirit leads - for God's Holy Spirit to come and visit in power right across Europe and Russia at this tense and difficult time, when talk of war is again in the air, just as it was in the run up to war 1914, and again in the late 1930s. *https://ruachministries.co.uk/8272-2/ **https://piusx.pl/a-broken-heart-august-20th-1914/?lang=en
Come Holy Spirit, Come fill our hearts Come flood this day with light and love. Healing and releasing, Cleansing and dispelling, Come Holy Spirit, come fill our hearts. Ruach Hadesh, Holy Spirit, Come into the midst of our trials Hold us. Deliver us o Lord Restorer, Empowerer, keep my soul in peace. Lifter of my head Come Holy Spirit. Harmony Greenwood (vocals), Megan Mellamphey (flute) Nick Evans Pughe (viola), Corinne Frost (cello), Christiane von Albrecht (keyboard)
Out of the depths - Psalm 130 by Ruach Breath of Life
I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear: I will help you. After Laurie Klein recited soothing and reassuring words from Psalms 62 and 63 and Isaiah 41:3, the musicians struck up brief but moving improvisations, in this live recording from the Symphony of Worship Conference in Malvern in 2000. As the first of these improvisations unfold, this is an opportunity to let the Spirit of the Lord wash over you with His rest. When the second one draws to a close, however, you may wish to stay in a spirit of prayer for some time afterwards, and see how the Lord leads, and what comes to mind. Lord Jesus, thank You for the deep soothing rest that You give us. How can we ever thank You enough for all the help that You give, and the interventions that You send? We drink in Your presence now Lord, and ask You to be with every single person, place or situation that comes to mind, and that we lift to You now.
On the penal colony of Patmos for his faith, John and could easily have allowed himself to feel deeply discouraged, and even resentful at being ‘stuck' in such a dreadful place. No wonder we find him speaking of himself as being ‘our brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus! (Rev. 1:9) How grateful we and countless millions are that John resolutely overcame the plaguing ‘if onlys,' and kept his heart open to Jesus, thereby turning his disappointments into God's appointments. Jesus rewarded him first with a glorious awareness of how He is now in His glorious heavenly state, and then with a long series of visions of Heaven winning through in the battles to come on Earth that culminate in his return to rule on Earth.
As I listened to this powerful piece of music by my first music teacher, Philip Spratley, it seems a poignantly perfect backcloth to help us pray heartfelt prayers for Ukraine at this time when it is under such intense pressure in so many directions. Please do take time out to sit in the Lord's presence, and to pour your heart out to Him and see how He leads you. The people of Ukraine need the Lord's help so badly.
Many of you will be familiar with the hymn 'Blessed be the tie', a very deep affirmation of the strength that comes when believers truly love each other. As so often there is a story behind the words. In the mid-eighteenth century, John Fawcett was a young Baptist preacher in poverty-stricken Wainsgate near Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire, when he received an invitation to come to a large and influential church in London. On the day of departure, with his family's possessions loaded onto a waggon, the distraught congregation begged him to stay – and he did, passing over the opportunity to minister in more affluent surroundings. In a remarkable demonstration of how precious these godly ties were, he remained faithfully ministering there for the rest of his life. May we draw fresh inspiration from the words he penned concerning the strength of our own relationships. As you will hear, I have written my own words to the tune, but with an occasional reference to the powerful original words of the hymn: God of hope and Lord of life, dearest lover of my soul You alone so worthy, You alone so dear. this is my ardent prayer: Jesus, make me evermore like You. No one else can fill my heart, no other passion satisfy; I am captured by Your beauty, and blessed by the tie that binds our hearts as one. Spirit-strong and Spirit-sure, Spirit-fired and Spirit-led, let all I am bow to serve and worship You. There is no splendour compared to knowing You, No lasting glory but Yours alone I yield my life to worship You Close companion, Shield, Defender, You confer such care on me. You reveal Yourself, dear Jesus, in speaking moments deep within my soul, that leave me trembling in awe and adoration, longing just to fill Your heart with joy. One thing I ask of You, One thing I desire: That you would open my eyes to see You in Your splendour, I want to gaze on Your beauty all the days of my life, and so become more like You, my Lord. Justin Coldstream wrote this musical arrangement for us, weaving in the theme of a popular folk song from Languedoc, (La Langue d'Oc), in the south of France. I had wondered if it might be possible to blend the two together, and he found a way to do it! Sue Harris reads the words I have written, and was joined by Thomas, Susanne and Julia Herzog, Ann Seifer, Alex Koderisch, Gabriele Kröhnert and Peter and Shirley Richards in this recent recording. These are the original words of the hymn: Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love; the fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above. 2 Before our Father's throne we pour our ardent prayers; our fears, our hopes, our aims are one, our comforts and our cares. 3 We share our mutual woes, our mutual burdens bear, and often for each other flows the sympathizing tear. 4 When we are called to part, it gives us inward pain; but we shall still be joined in heart, and hope to meet again. 5 This glorious hope revives our courage by the way; while each in expectation lives and waits to see the day. 6 From sorrow, toil, and pain, and sin, we shall be free; and perfect love and friendship reign through all eternity.
No matter how experienced we may be in terms of prayer and ministry, it is always a great source of joy when God moves in unmistakable ways. There is nothing quite like the sense of awe and astonishment we get when He comes in His beauty! Last Sunday, I was due to give a talk at church based around 2 Corinthians 10. I had worked hard to prepare it and focused particularly on the theme of demolishing strongholds. I also invited Sally Mowbray to come and lead the worship from the piano. The very moment Sally started playing, we became aware of a deep sense of the Lord's presence, and a great freedom in the Spirit. We had planned three songs before the talk, but no one wanted to stop worshipping. I couldn't help wondering whether starting my talk would bring us back down to earth rather than allowing us to stay in this precious place before the throne of God. I had asked a few friends to pray for the meeting, and couple of them had messaged me beforehand to say that the Lord wanted me to speak from the heart. And that is just what happened! Instead of the somewhat formal talk I had prepared, I began to call on the Lord in an extended and impromptu prayer that covered many of the themes I had planned to speak on. I love how God meets with us unexpectedly! Our pastor told me that the Lord touched his knee during the evening, which meant he was able to play football during an outreach evening with local children. It reminded me of how the Lord healed someone of a long-standing ear problem while we were praying against the spread of Islam in this country many years ago. As we seek Him, He ministers to our needs! Of course, I still have all the notes for the talk I planned to give, and I hope to share them on another occasion. But talks can be read anytime, while the presence of the Lord is of the moment – may you encounter Him today.
I have no one else like-minded who will genuinely care about your interests; all others seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. (Phil. 2:20-21) As much as these verses express a great commendation of his protégé, Timothy, they are also a sad indictment of others in Paul's immediate entourage. It can be a distressing realisation to discover that people are more calculating and concerned for their own affairs and business than truly Christ-seeking. Set to a profound utterance in tongues that the Lord gave Linda Entwistle many years ago, and which is taken from a presentation called From the Depths to the Heights, this is a chance to, reflect, ponder and pray about what it means to put Christ's interests first.
Inspired by the words 'Your Kingdom come' in the Lord's Prayer, this is a worshipful improvisation that Sally sung, accompanied by David Booth on guitar. It expresses our longing for more of God and His Heavenly Kingdom as we soak in His presence and seek His face - both for ourselves and for the many situations that we bring Him.
Many years ago, at the gates of the nursery that both Ruth and Tim attended, we enjoyed many precious moments of fellowship with a special group of parents. (We are still in touch with them all!) Amongst them was Sue Harris, who I was delighted to invite to record this poem-prayer that celebrates the "sacrament of the present moment": a lovely concept which Jean Pierre Caussade coined as a phrase three hundred years ago. Sue loves the Lord Jesus dearly, and we have paired her heart-felt recording with the music of one of Bach's most beautiful Andantes, which Fontane Liang and Julia Herzog played for us on the harp and recorder. The music feels somewhat delicate and slightly fragile, like a bluebell just lifting its head, and inspires us to dwell on the tenderness of the Lord's moment-by-moment love for us – and to remind ourselves that no lack of faithfulness on our part, or 'road block' that we face along life's way can ultimately keep us from His unconditional love, if we will but resolve to reach out to Him. May this be a piece to which you often find yourself returning, and find in it fresh succour and sweetness in the Lord. It is beautiful.
Lord, you say, “This is the resting place. Let the weary rest. This is the place to be refreshed.” (Is 28:12 EHV) We are longing just to come and be refreshed. The Lord: Come aside a while and ponder My sovereignty. So far from being a distant or highfaluting concept, this is manna to your soul and truth to bring repose to weary hearts and minds. I am sovereign: this is the bedrock of everything in all creation. I am before all things and in Me, all things hold together. (Col. 1:17) The more you dare to believe this, the more it will focus your gaze on the Lamb upon His throne, and keep you from being led astray by every wind and whim. The believer: So here we are, Lord, bombarded on every side by make-believe reality and the strictures of a consumer society; immersed in the insistent mantras and populist slogans of governments and corporations, rights groups and movements – so many agendas, so many principles; so much intolerance, and fang-toothed, talon-clawed opposition. How we need not just a short-term break, but an eternal resting place deep within our hearts. Forgive us when we allow these things to impinge so strongly on our senses to weigh more heavily on us than the faith that beholds the invisible and perseveres accordingly. You are not a man that You should lie, nor the son of man that You should change Your mind. Have You not said, and will You not do it? The day will come when Your feet stand again upon the Mount of Olives, Lord Jesus, and Your glory fill the world. The Lord: My hand is on the tiller and My purposes cannot fail. I stand alone, and who can oppose Me? I do whatever I please and none can gainsay My word. (Job 23:13) Come near you nations and listen; you people, hearken to all I have to say; (See Isaiah 34 1-2) I brought Israel up from Egypt, the Philistines from Crete and the Syrians from Kir. It was I who delivered Israel from the tyranny of the Pharoahs, then from the Baals and then from Babylon – and it is I who rescue you from your many scrapes! The rulers of the world conspire together against Me (Ps. 2:1–2) but My anointed One is King over all the nations of the world. I have given Him the nations as an inheritance (Ps. 2:8) – yes even those nations that rage so loudly against Me.
The believer Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to Your name be the glory, for Your steadfast loving-kindness and for the sake of Your truth and faithfulness. (Ps. 115:1 AMPC) We are the inheritors of Your kingdom, and we live and move in Your glory, in the peace and security that comes from following the Prince of Peace. Voice: The Lord The eyes of the arrogant will be humbled and human pride brought low; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day. The LORD Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted – and they will be humbled. (Isaiah 2:11-12) The believer: Yes Lord, scatter all that is proud and lofty in the imagination of our heart and bring us to that deeper place of knowing that we are living and praying according to Your will; no longer asking amiss by following our own desires but increasingly conformed to the image of Your Son, whose only desire is to do the will of the One who had sent Him. Rather than looking wistfully at someone else's gifts and opportunities, or bowing down at the shrine of our own achievements, we cry out with the psalmist, ‘All our springs are found in You!' (Psalm 87:7) You, who did not spare Your own and only Son, do not spare us from Your work of refining. Remove all bias and boasting from our hearts; fashion within us a true and lasting humility so that we are spared the fate of Aaron's foolish sons and Eli's licentious offspring. (Lev. 10:1-3) Keep us from becoming like Demas, who put love of worldly things ahead of serving You (2 Tim. 4:10).
2 Tim 2:19 Though you see many things that might make you despair, when you indulge your woes and listen to your fears, and when your faults and failings shout aloud from the roof tops, and your senses are inclined to shrink in the face of all these discouragements, never forfeit the godly foundations I have procured for You: My arms beneath and My throne above undergirds all. There can no more be any such thing as ‘salvation by worry' than there could be ‘salvation by works alone'. The fairest fruit comes when you admit your helplessness and look away to Me. How can you truly be free in My presence if you fix your eyes on earthly things and seek honour praise and approval more from one another than from Me? (John 3:12, 5:44) The believer: From heaven you make us hear Your voice to discipline us. (Deut. 5:24, 4:12, 36) You truly give and take away: blessed be Your name. (Job 9:12) Many plans occupy our hearts and minds: but may Your purposes alone prevail (Prov. 19:21). The Lord I am the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; and the key to this treasure is to be found by pressing in and onward to know still more of Me as I work all things together according to the counsel of My will, on behalf of those whom I have chosen from before the beginning of time itself. (Eph. 1:11) My foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: ‘I know those who are Mine – and everyone who confesses My name must turn away from wickedness.' (2 Tim, 2:19) Those who believe and trust in the precious cornerstone of Christ need never be disturbed nor give way (Is. 28:16).
Comment by the photographer - Some time ago while I was walking along Calle Larios in Malaga, I was struck by the skill of this craftsman who, there in the middle of the street in a completely artisanal way (the lathe was a wheel that he rotated with his hands) of a shapeless piece of clay was used to make vessels and other useful and beautiful pieces. The believer You are the Alpha and the Omega, the architect of all, and the potter who shapes and recreates all things for Your pleasure. Keep us from the barnstorming of the enemy's thrusts and lies, swiftly acknowledging the things we need to repent of, and identifying those inevitable surprise attacks we need to rebuke. Grant us discernment to recognise Your strong hand behind the things that come upon us, to know that even our very afflictions are no chance or random event, but deeply disposed and ordained of You. May we not be unsettled by our trials, but recognise, for as Paul declared, we are indeed destined for them. (1 Thess. 3:3). If sometimes the measures You adopt feel extreme, and the situations we face most daunting, help us to maintain our confidence that You intend to be glorified through our surrendered lives. You do not err in what You allow to come our way. (Job 9:12) Even when our soul is sore and pressed with sorrow, yet we have but to look to You to find You drawing near. Even though this new found helplessness is not what we would have chosen, it is what You knew it would be needed to complete the cycle of things You intend us to overcome, and to turn from all the glorying and boasting in vain things that so characterises this present era. It is not so much that You help those who help themselves, but that You help those most willing to confess how unable they are to help themselves. For whatever our outward limitations our hearts and springs are at liberty to find their joy and freedom with You.
Seated on high You yet stoop so low to meet us as and where we are. No matter that may sometimes feel like worker bees, gathering but a fraction of a teaspoonful of honey in our lifetimes, yet we are doing and seek to do all that you have commissioned us to do as we look above and not at the things of life. You are our refuge and our fortress, O God, in whom we trust (Psalm 91:2). You are fully committed to take all that we give You and to work it out in ways that lie far beyond our understanding. You ride on the clouds in Your majesty yet come to our aid. (Deut. 33:26) Fickle and foolish our ways, but stable and strong Your throne – and set and secure Your far ranging purposes. Make us, each one, more patient in adversity, tossed no longer every which way by each fresh challenge, but pressing on to pursue the unsearchable riches we have received in Christ (Eph. 3:8). Lord of our hearts, and Lord of our destinies, You alone know the days allotted to us. (Job 14:5) Direct the flow of our days according to Your sovereign purposes, and just as You fine tune and regulate every living thing in all creation, regulate the precious hours that You have entrusted to us, as we wait for Your supreme and blessed hope to be revealed once more from Heaven (Titus 2:13). You alone our refuge, and Your everlasting arms will never let us down. You have made our hearts a resting place beneath the shadow of Your wings – and we ascribe glory to Your name, dearly beloved and Eternal God (Deut. 33:26-27).
My compassion is not dependent on what you do. Neither does My justice depend on human will or exertion. My compassion and mercy spring from My mercy seat. (Rom. 9:15-16) Seek My mercy on behalf of erring souls and nations, streets and towns and regions, careers and professions. My Sovereignty is not blunted or diminished by your failures. I can yet rearrange the strands of your lives, and ordain strength and fruitfulness even from the pits of your failure. Have I not brought you to this place where you have reached the end of your own resources, in order that I can rule and reign in your lives? Since nothing lies beyond My ability to redeem, can I not turn tragedy into triumph? I am and always will be, and those who submit to My leading will find themselves encompassed in My great purposes. Those who want to be My disciples must follow Me, because I desire My servants to be where I am. I will honour anyone who serves Me. Listen only for My voice: this is the way and you must have the courage to embark upon it. Allow no foothold to the forces of fear and disappointment, for they have the power to shut out the awareness of My presence. Come to Me afresh and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matt. 11:29)
Miserere mei, Deus (‘Have mercy upon me, O God) Disaster! With one fell swoop, the second king of Israel broke three of the commandments God had given to help His people live in the light of His holiness. The enormity of what David had done in his sudden relationship with Bathsheba did not seem to strike his heart immediately, however. He had coveted another man's wife, committed adultery, planned and plotted the death of one of his most loyal and upright followers – and then carried on as if everything was normal. But God knew, and in his love and holiness He sent the prophet Nathan to confront David. Gulp! It was a task that required courage, given the king's sometimes domineering and even tyrannical tendency to exert his power in unkind and capricious ways. Nathan, who seems to have served as something akin to a court chaplain, knew that he was risking his life, and wisely approached the matter by telling David a riddle within a parable about a rich man stealing a poor man's pet lamb, before pointing the finger squarely at him. Nathan's words pierced the hardness in David's heart, reminding him of the shepherd he had been, and the unfairness of the tale that he had just heard. The penny dropped. David heard and took the matter to heart – and his repentance was as profound and far-reaching as his faithfulness had been so outstanding on so many other occasions. Deeper far than mere remorse, the Holy Spirit has used David's record of his repentance in what we know as Psalm 51 to touch and convict countless hearts ever since. As we reflect and pray, may the Lord help us to enter more deeply into a 360 degree awareness of own faults and failings, and to pray blessing upon blessing on those who we have hurt or maligned. Few pieces of music can help us to enter more deeply into this ‘mea culpa' recognition of our own sins and shortcomings than Gregorio Allegri's stunningly beautiful setting of this psalm. You will probably be familiar with the story of how this sublime music was discovered. Jealously guarded by the Vatican, and forbidden to be sung anywhere outside the pope's own Sistine Chapel, (and even there only during Holy Week), the story goes that Mozart, the teenage musical prodigy, heard the Miserere being sung during a service, and promptly rushed home and wrote the whole complex piece out from memory. Whether or not the story depicts exactly what happened, the fact is that, thanks to Mozart, the music entered the public domain – for which we can never be too grateful. A devout believer, Allegri himself had trained as a priest, and worked with the Vatican's Papal Choir. He has been described as a man ‘whose music was imbued with his religious faith and personal sense of justice, and who was ‘a model of priestly peace and humility, a father to the poor, the consoler of captives and the forsaken, a self-sacrificing help and rescuer of suffering humanity.' This combination of David's words and Allegri's heavenly music represent a wonderful opportunity for heart spring-cleaning. The music was recorded for us in Berlin in April 2025, and played by Susanne Herzog, Shirley Richards, Anne Seidler, Gabriele Kröhnert and Alexander Koderisch, with Julia and Thomas Herzog and Peter Richards making solo contributions on recorder, cor anglais and French horn.
I wrote this prayer piece after taking a walk around our immediate neighbourhood one day. It takes the form of a prayer dialogue, imagining the Lord speaking to me about some of the people I glimpsed in passing. I have set the words to a piece I wrote called Lament and Light, which incorporates a beautiful Swedish folk melody. It concludes with Linda Entwistle singing a hauntingly beautiful theme in the Spirit, which leaves a profound aftertaste. A huge thank you to Rebecca Whettam and Natalie Halliday, cellos, Peter Richards, piano, and Mike Halliday on clarinet.
Set to moving music from Monteverdi's brilliant vespers of 1610, with Anthony Thompson and Kevin Ashman leading on the trumpets, join Robert and Elizabeth in this rendering of Isaiah 26, and Psalms 18 and 17:14-15. Biblical Hebrew does not have tenses in the way that most modern languages do, so I have at times turned the tense around to make it not only a reflection on past deliverances but an active declaration that the Lord is always able to help us, and will continue to do so in the future.
O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness You have done wonderful things, things planned long ago._ With these words, Isaiah falls in worship before the Lord. You have been a refuge for the poor , a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. How beautiful the Lord is, and how kind! In His gentleness, He stoops down to lift us up and draw us into His own family. This exultant reflection, which is adapted from Isaiah 25, Luke 1:51 and Psalm 18:35, is set to the glorious music of Giovanni Gabrieli's Canzon septimi et octavi toni a 12. Beloved, let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation! The words are read by Elizabeth Hume and Robert Weston, and the music is wonderfully performed for us by Nicola Gerard, Anthony Thompson, Mike Halliday, Peter Richards, Francis Cummings, Shirley Richards, Philippa Barton, Christiane Mueller, Jo Garcia and Corinne Frost.
What a gem Paul's first letter to the Corinthians is, with his unsurpassed eulogy to love, his seminal teaching about spiritual gifts and the functioning of the Body of Christ, crowned with his deep understanding concerning the glory we will enjoy with the Lord in our heavenly home and in our resurrected bodies in. It soars to such heights that you might almost wonder what a second letter could add to it. But this was also the group of Christians with which he had more trouble than in any of the other fledgling churches. From our perspective today we can be grateful, because it led to some of his most profound and personal writing that is of great benefit to us today. In this talk, which I have called In Christ's triumphal procession, some of the principal points that I have touched on include: • Remaining alert to the promptings of the Holy Spirit • The triumphant return of Christ, accompanied by His saints • Spreading the fragrance of Christ • Pondering Paul's question concerning who is equal to the task we are called to • The importance and power of our words of recommendation The talk finishes with the grande finale from our Transfiguration album – a magnificent improvisation that also brought Wellspring's album ‘The Return' to a triumphant close. The combination of the music and reading from the book of Revelation are stunningly glorious.
Just a few days ago, I knew next to nothing about this huge country that is the size of Western Europe, but whilst preparing to lead the prayer meeting I had been asked to lead for it, I soon ‘discovered' the country (the last of the former Soviet republics to declare independence in 1991) and took it to heart. Kazakhstan, has the reputation of being the political and economic powerhouse of the central Asian nations, but there is a great deal happening in unseen spiritual ways too. From there being just thirteen known evangelicals in the nation at that time, to there being around 200,000 today, it will be good for us to take this nation into our hearts in prayer – especially because the Open Doors World Watch List of the 50 most persecuted countries warns that the country has shot up nine places in the last year to number 38. I think you will be blessed by join us in this impromptu prayer that I recorded after the prayer meeting I referred to, on behalf of the Kazak church and nation. We subsequently set the prayer to the music of Albinoni, Vivaldi, and an inspired improvisation for two recorders. The main sources that informed my understanding of the situation in Kazakhstan for this prayer are: Open Doors, Open Doors World Watch, Eurasia Mission, and Go Serve.
We pray for all who are shocked and shaken by items in the news, and by the state of the world. Renew the focus of our hearts and our flow of prayer, that it may be neither the swathed in sentimentality, nor swayed by prejudice, but founded in the spirit of truth and focused on the Prince of Peace. Answer when we call to You, O righteous God. Grant relief from our distress and hear our prayers, and let Your troops be willing for the day of battle. As the commander of Adonai's army, deploy Your forces as best may be. Let the army of Young people whom You are raising up serve with vision and compassion. Keep their mission vision clear, and their hearts free from all the distractions the enemy may want to send, and from key relationships from turning sour. Let these Young men and women be as arrows in Your hand, pioneers and spearheads for Your kingdom, and true soul shapers for You. For those in mature middle years, to administer and oversee many aspects of the work of Your church with clarity and humility. And for those more advanced in years, that they may pray prayers that You can answer and speak wisdom that lightens burdens, and imparts so much of what it means to wait on You. And because deliverance comes from You, we ask that Your blessing rests on these Your people as they serve Your kingdom purposes, all ages Lord working together, whether in frontline communications or strategically placed further back. We call out to You because You will answer from Your holy mountain.
As we pray for the mission of each church and movement that You've raised up, and that's truly reaching out for You, we pray that You will guard them from the shame of sordid squabbles and senseless splits. Guide them through and beyond each setback. Let's pray now for all who are feeling mixed up and muddled and alienated from church, from those who are holding back because of hurtful things that they have seen or heard. Find ways to minister to them, Lord. It's ever Your nature to seek to restore and redeem. Keep wooing and reaching out to their hearts, and work in such a way as to bring them to the point where they are willing to forgive those who have made life so hard for them, and are free to experience the blessings of life together in community again.
Your love Lord reaches to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, Your justice like the great deep, Lord. You preserve both people and animals; Your unfailing love is priceless! So many take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They feast on the abundance of Your house, and You give them drink from Your river of delights. For with You is the fountain of life, and in Your light we see light. Continue Your love to those who know You, Your righteousness to the upright in heart. May the foot of the proud not come against me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. Lord Jesus, You warned those who felt secure in themselves that hearts would tremble at the tossing of the sea and the roaring of the waves, because all that can be shaken is being shaken in the lead-up to the great moment of Your return. . . . for harvests will fail, and idle merriment and debauched revelry will come to an end before Your spirit is poured out from on high, before the desert becomes a fertile field, and all flesh recognize Your leading. Behold, I will pour out my spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on My servants, both men and women, I will pour out my spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth; blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls. (Joel 2:28-32) This is the time when Your justice will prevail and Your people will live forever in undisturbed dwelling places, for peace will be the fruit of righteousness, and quietness and confidence will take root and be established. When Your judgments come upon the earth we quake and fear, but let them teach us righteousness. and pay more attention to Your majesty. For even now Your hand is lifted up though they do not see it, let them recognize Your zeal for Your people and how You long to establish a way forward for them. And in that blessed place, the lion will lie down with the lamb, and the serpent won't bite. For creation itself will be restored from its bondage to decay.
This is the sketchiest of sketches, musically speaking, but I was looking for something that would reflect and speak into the unsettledness of our times. Obvious examples spring to mind, such as the grim situation on the battlefront in Ukraine, and the endless grief in the heart of that nation - but may the Lord lead you where He and you together would go in prayer. And may the musical fragments serve in this process!
When I wrote this piece, Stillness and Joy, I ‘bookended' it with the theme from that wonderful hymn, 'I bind unto myself this day' – the great ‘Breastplate' prayer for protection that is widely accredited to St Patrick.* The Greek words I used in the title are hēsuchia (stillness, rest, quiet, silence) and charmolupē, a remarkable compound word that St John Climacus, a 7th century monk of Sinai, coined, which means a combination of joy and grief. Only in the Lord can we bear heavy burdens in the Spirit that move us to tears, and yet still know the deep stirrings of the Lord's joy in our hearts. We only read twice in the gospels of Jesus weeping. The first time is when John records Him weeping when He hears of the death of Lazarus. The second, in Luke's gospel, is the occasion when Jesus weeps over Jerusalem, because it had failed to recognise the hour of its visitation, and would pay a terrible price for its blindness and deafness. There are many things in the world around us, and perhaps in our own immediate circumstances too, to move us to tears. May we experience much of the Lord's own hēsuchia-stillness as well as His charmolupē, joy-grief, as we draw close to Him –pressing through the challenge of external distractions and inner whirring thoughts, before we reach a place of greater settledness and closeness to the Lord who loves us so much, and who hears our every prayer. May this music help to focus the longings, emotions and deep concerns of our heart in prayer. See also our blog post from early in 2021 in the immediate aftermath of the election crisis in Washington DC, when we were led to pray with the words of the Lorica: ‘We arise this day a mighty army.' https://ruachministries.co.uk/we-arise-a-mighty-army-this-day-the-lorica-breast-plate-of-st-patrick/
Nebuchadnezzar's empire was as secure and far-reaching as any great world power in the ancient world, but in himself, the king was not at rest. Night after night, disconcerting dreams swirled round his head, robbing him of peace and well-being. Dreams not only reflect the preoccupations of our hearts, but sometimes contain within them significant prophetic pointers. By revelation, the Lord showed Daniel that Nebuchadnezzar had dreamt of an enormously large and imposing statue – which said a lot about what the king thought of himself and his works! All his energies had gone into building an empire that honoured his own name, and he was dazed and dazzled by his golden splendour. The Lord was less impressed, however, and drew Daniel's attention to the image's fallible feet of clay. Empires may dominate the world stage for a season, but flawed foundations make it impossible for them to endure forever, be they Babylonian, Alexandrian, Roman, Napoleonic, British, Third Reich or Soviet. Drawing on Daniel's experiences in Babylon, and on his understanding of the way the Lord worked, in this presentation, Elizabeth and I ask the Lord to help us respond strategically to the challenges His people must deal with when living under ungodly regimes and empires: a very pressing question for millions of believers around the world today. Enjoy the lovely worship we have inlaid into our prayers toward the end too!
The principle of Suffer-reign. In his first epistle, Peter frequently links the concept of suffering with glory. That's why I have coined the word 'suffer-reign' to describe this. In this far-reaching talk I am unpacking this precious and important theme. 1 Peter 2:11-25.
Mussorgsky - The Oxcart (Bydlo) by Ruach Breath of Life
The scale of the depradations and sufferings in Ukraine has been astonishing as the result of Putin's invasion. These are offerings to help us keep all the citizens who are grieving at losing homes, families and loved ones as a result of the war. The suffering is by no means all one way. Whole Russian brigades have simply ceased to exist as a result of being wiped out in a war that they are not allowed to report to friends and family back home on pain of imprisonment. Could anything be more soul destroying? They too are bearing an immense cost. May the Lord meet with many on both sides of this demonically-inspired conflict. Can I suggest listening to the following as a piece of music and praying for as many dimensions to this whole conflict as come to mind? Then, when you have listened and prayed, hear it again in the next track called Russian Hymn with Words, in which it is revealed as an old Russian hymn from more stable times.
The Rock of Eternity and the age that is to come by Ruach Breath of Life
On both sides of the Conflict. Ongoing prayer for those caught up in the war in Ukraine by Ruach Breath of Life
With increasingly violent protests occurring on our streets in the UK, which once again greatly threaten people and properties, and stretch the police forces, let's join in this prayer with considerable urgency. Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ . . . and if you call on Him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile. [here on Earth](1 Peter. 1:13,17 ESV) With algorithms, news items and social media posts skilfully fuelling people's prejudices, and so increasing their sense of outrage – and when even the spiritual discernment that enables us to recognise when things are not being built to according God's plumbline – all such things can leave us feeling incensed rather filled with the passion of God – which itself includes righteous anger as opposed to mere rage. Each one of us faces the challenge of needing to be willing to take our stand for truth, (and against that which is not truth), but without allowing our hearts to become contemptuous and dismissive – or even consumed with hatred against those who think very differently from ourselves. It is really important to pray that the love of Jesus wins the day in so many peoples' hearts, and in so many situations rather than the power of hatred. Please note that in this brief prayer along those lines, when I say that I am not praying primarily for such 'categories' as hypocrites, hackers and those infested with an overly partisan spirit, I am not saying that we should not pray for these people, for we are called to bless all who spitefully use and ill use others, but am simply directing the focus of the prayer elsewhere. One of Handel's powerful Sarabandes provides a stirring backdrop for this prayer, with the musicians then expanding into a time of improvisation beyond it. May the Lord lead us to pray the love of God into many hate-fuelled and filled situations.
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