Ruach Breath Of Life

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 im

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 expe

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 Village by Ruach Breath of Life

Mussorgsky - The Oxcart (Bydlo) by Ruach Breath of Life

Teleman Allegro by Ruach Breath of Life

Telemann Largo by Ruach Breath of Life

Russian Hymn with words 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 o

What an extraordinarily rich account the book of Samuel is! It has all the flow and potency of an epic historical novel, as we are introduced to larger-than-life characters, and to the whole saga that surrounded the founding of the monarchy in Israel. What a wealth of pithy quotes and spiritual truths and treasures we come across, too: phrases that have passed into our common spiritual language rather as so many of Shakespeare’s quotes have become a precious part and parcel of the English language. As we listen to this talk, which Robert gave in church on the 14th July 2024, and which focuses on the wonderful theme of strengthening ourselves in the Lord as David did at a truly critical time in his life, may the Lord's power and presence come on us all afresh.

Well aware of how easy it is to fall prey to one or more of the satanic strategies that powerful spirit-beings design to catch believers out, Paul concludes his magnificent epistle to the Ephesians with a briefing on spiritual warfare and a call to don the armour of God. Given the sheer weight of issues that we all have to deal with internally as well as externally, the familiar passage in Ephesians 6 is a timely word for us to take time out to reconsider, and to see what the Lord may have to say to us through it. It is His armour, His weapons and His Kingdom that we are called to share in, and to fight for. We hope you will be really blessed by this talk that Robert shared on this subject at church recently.

Dobru noc - A prayer for each Ukrainian child forcibly deported to Russia As I listened this morning to this exquisite Czecho-Slovak folksong, I had a strong image of a mother, (along with another member of a Ukrainian family) singing an idyllic lullaby to their child in the warmth and security of their home. Half way through, a great rupture happens, symbolising the Russian invasion – and the child, along with nearly twenty thousand others, is separated from their family and deported to Russia. There in the pit of loss and despair, the child hears in his or her spirit the song of their mother reaching across the vast distance that now separates her from all she has known and loved – and from somewhere a voice comes, bidding the child not to give in to despair but to trust and hope: reassuring them that the Lord knows all about their plight, and promising that He has all eternity in which to make it up to them. May the Lord use this much loved lullaby to stir our spirits to pray for those separated from

This brief interlude of prayer and worship in the Spirit was recorded at the start of our 1998 conference in Malvern, ‘Symphony of Worship.’ May the Lord use it again now to still and prepare our hearts to soak in His presence afresh.

In the fourth chapter of Job, we see that a man of God who was going through hard times, hearing a whisper from a spirit telling him that he could not possibly hope to be right with God. How sickly subtle are the silent whispers that drip from the Accuser’s tongue. Staunch and strong must be our defence to lift the shield of faith and let the Word of life resound. As we cry out to the LORD in our trouble, and experience Your hand delivering us from our distress, Still the storm to a whisper; and hush the waves of the sea and let all grow calm again, as You guide us to the longed-for haven. (Ps 107:28-30) O Lord, we long for You. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in times of pressure and distress. (Isaiah 33:2) Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for You; Your name and Your renown are the desire of our hearts; our souls yearn for You during the long night hours; in the morning our spirit longs for You. All that we have accomplished is the result of what You have

As storms of all kinds rage across the world, and we pray for the Lord to bring His deliverance near to many in great need of it, let's take deeply to heart these words. They are primarily taken from the prophet Isaiah and the Revelation that brings the New Testament to its climax. We exalt and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness You have done such wondrous things, things planned long, which humble our pride but serve to make ready a people prepared for You. Therefore strong peoples will honour You; and cities of ruthless nations will revere You, for You have been a refuge for the poor, and a refuge for the needy; You will be a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. The breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall, but You still silence the uproar of the nations and the war chants of the ruthless. We grieve for the many who will not turn to You, or receive Your gracious offer, foolishly preferring the broad and easy way, despite it leading only to destructio

Restore broken hearts How right Job was when he said that those at ease have contempt for misfortune. Lord, we acknowledge our lack of compassion before you for those in need. And we pray to share more of Your heart, a Restorer of broken walls. You desire that our heart should be like well-watered gardens, springs whose waters never fail, but there is stuff that You need to do in our heart, Lord, to make it possible for us to share Yours. We remember how a hand touched Daniel and raised him up, causing him to stand, catching and strengthening him and all that came from that. We remember how You stretched out your hand and touched Jeremiah's mouth. And how you laid your right hand on John at the start of the Revelation. Jesus, friend of sinners and Re-mender of broken hearts, we pray today for those who are lonely and sinned, and who receive but little outside support and stimulus, and few if any visit. Jesus be the Visitor. Visit those whose relationships have broken asunder and whose hearts are raw, and