Ruach Breath of Life
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Most of us will have known times when we regret things that we have said or done, or failed to say and do, and burst out, ‘Oh, if only I had . . .!’ Such idle regrets are usually an open invitation feels of worthlessness and condemnation – although they can serve some valid purpose if they make us more watchful and attentive in the future. As surely as those are empty regrets, there are occasions in Scripture when the Lord allows us to glimpse how deeply He regrets and mourns over the blindness and deafness of His people – not least because of all that we will are sure to suffer as a result. As He revealed to Asaph, “If My people would only listen to Me, if Israel would only follow My ways . . . But my people would not listen to Me; Israel would not submit to Me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices. (See Psalm 81:11-13) Re-read the second and third chapters of Jeremiah and you are sure to hear more of the Lord’s deep heart cry, as He laments that after all He has done for the nation - and all that He was offering her – it had still turned away and refused to repent and return to Him. Hear the grief in the Lord’s heart as He expresses through Isaiah how things could have been: “If only you had paid attention to My commands, your peace would have been like a river.’ We are so sorry, Lord, for the grief that we have caused You, and the opportunities that we have missed. Thus too does Jesus grieve over Jerusalem, knowing well the utter disaster that its stubbornness and spiritual blindness would lead to. “If you had only known on this day what would bring you peace – but for now it is hidden from you.” (Jer. 3:7; Is. 48:18; Luke 19:42) It grieves the Lord when we fail to listen to His voice, and to turn to Him with all our hearts. And there can be no sadder words to hear than to be on the wrong end of the Lord saying, ‘If only you had . . .” Back in 1980, at a time when the Lord was showing us the urgency of our times and calling us to intercede seriously for the nations, He gave us a number of profound and prophetic songs to rally people to this call. Many of these were written by Huw Humphreys. This particular song was written by him, with additional words by Robert Weston. With the help of Mike Halliday on clarinet, Jo Garcia on cello and Christiane von Albrecht on keyboard, Megan Topper shares in the words of that song words and sentiments that speak of the Lord's grief - as well as of His desire for us to heed His call, adjust our heart priorities and respond to His summons to rise up as the army of the Lord. As He looks down over nations and individuals that are straying far from His ways, let’s commit ourselves afresh to giving Him the joy and solace of sharing whole heartedly in the things that He is seeing and feeling.
Shine Your Light into the darkness - Eliakim 2010 by Ruach Breath of Life
Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil His good purpose. (Phil. 2:12-13) What a blessing Paul’s letters are! Through them we get to know so much about the man, and feel his heart for the people and the churches he was writing to. How amazed he would have been then to learn how deeply the words that he dictated then from his place of confinement have touched by far the great majority of every Christian who has ever lived! With the book of Philippians being so particularly cram full of jewels, gems and reminders to rejoice in God, and to keep seeking Him whatever we are going through outwardly, you are sure to be blessed by this message I gave at our church from the second half of chapter two of Paul's letter to the Philippians.
If you are a sports fan, you will be more than familiar with this much-loved Welsh hymn. It is far less likely, however, that you will have come across the English translation of the words. the two million Welsh immigrants who made their home in America, (especially in New England, the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama but also as representative of the multitude of nations that have combined to make America the nation that it is today. The title of the hymn Calon Lân, (which means a pure heart) makes it a particularly pertinent and poignant thing to pray for America at this time, as a kind of antidote to the prevailing materialism. I don't ask for a luxurious life, the world's gold or its fine pearls, I ask for a happy heart, an honest heart, a pure heart. A pure heart full of goodness Is fairer than the pretty lily, None but a pure heart can sing, Sing in the day and sing in the night. If I wished for worldly wealth, It would swiftly go to seed; The riches of a virtuous, pure heart Will bear eternal profit. Evening and morning, my wish Rising to heaven on the wing of song For God, for the sake of my Saviour, To give me a pure heart.
The Resting Place Track 7: Let me keep saying yes to You, Lord! The beautiful music is a Lullaby from Philip Spratley's Outlaw Suite, Opus 12. Lord, let me keep saying Yes to you! You have made known to me the paths of life; and You will fill me with joy in your presence. You reign over heaven and earth (Rev. 19:6), and I will give You thanks at all times, and in all places, for all things. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 5:20). My heart pants after You, for though Your way is mysterious and leads through the sea where your footprints are not seen, and even in the whirlwind, Your love is stronger than death, and Your desire for me is so much keener than mine for You, yet always leading home to You. You are not a servant to do our bidding and yet You allow us to enquire of You and (Ezekiel 36:37), and You take into account the little that we offer You. Come in Your glory and fill our hearts. Refresh our spirits with sweet cordial and living water from Your heavenly streams. Lift us above our limitations to embrace Your limitless life, so from that resting place we in turn may cultivate faith and creativity in the hearts and lives of many. Shape the likeness of Your Son in us, so that we do not miss out on any part of Your wonderful, uplifting command to rejoice in You, yes to rejoice always in You: to rejoice – always – in You, O God our eternal resting place, for we dwell under the shadow of Your wing. (Phil. 3:1, 4:4).
We read or hear of examples of corruption and wickedness pretty well every day, perhaps many times every day even, and the accumulated weight of this can easily get under our skin. As always the Psalms provide an antidote. I was drawn to adapt these verses from Psalm 10, with a bit of help from Isaiah, by way of an antidote to these pressures. Better to take them to the Lord than to seethe! Peace to the soul is one of the very first pieces that I composed, back in 2013. I pray that the music will minister to you, along with the words, which I read with Sally Mowbray.
Welcome to this opening track in the second part of our series on Yahweh-Mephalti: the Lord our Deliverer. We will be praying here for a whole selection of situations where people are in distress and in immediate need of His help. Prayer flows more deeply when it is soaked and wrapped in worship - and we are very pleased to share this really precious time of worship in the Spirit that Carol Sampson led at one of Colin Urquhart's Faith Camps in the early 1990s. It draws us deeply into the courts of the Lord - and who knows where that will take us, or how He will lead us from that precious place? Do be open to Him leading you far beyond the prayer suggestions that we offer here! Arise O God on behalf of the afflicted! In the morning, LORD, You hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before You, and wait expectantly. By Your great love, I can come into Your house, bow down in reverence toward Your holy temple and ask You to arise and send Your mighty life-changing power into the situations I bring to You this day.
Back in 1599, Philipp Nicolai, a Lutheran pastor who ministered in plague-struck communities, wrote the words of this hymn: How lovely shines the Morning Star! The nations see and hail afar the light in Judah shining. O David's son of Jacob's race, my Bridegroom and my King of grace, for you my heart is pining. Huw Sung wrote an exquisite tune to accompany it, which Gerard le Feuvre and Sarah Blamire led us in at one of our conferences in the 1990s. Huw has kindly given us permission to use this version of it. Here are the rest of the words. Lowly, holy, great and glorious, O victorious Prince of graces, filling all the heav'nly places. 2 O highest joy by mortals won, true Son of God and Mary's son, the highborn King of ages! In your blest body let me be, e'en as the branch is in the tree, your life my life supplying. Sighing, crying for the savor of your favor, resting never till I rest in you forever. 3 O mighty Father, in your Son you loved me ere you had begun this ancient world's foundation. Your Son has made a friend of me, and when in spirit him I see, I joy in tribulation. What bliss is this! He is living, to me giving life forever; nothing me from him can sever. 4 Oh, joy to know that you, my friend, are Lord, beginning without end, the first and last, eternal! And you at length — O glorious grace — will take me to that holy place the home of joys supernal. Amen, amen! Come and meet me, quickly greet me! With deep yearning, Lord, I look for your returning. 5 Lift up the voice and strike the string, let all glad sounds of music ring in God's high praises blended. Christ will be with me all the way, today, tomorrow, ev'ry day till trav'ling days are ended. Sing out ring out triumph glorious, O victorious chosen nation; praise the God of your salvation.
Throughout the course of human history, God has heard the cries of countless individuals and groups who have called out to Him for deliverance from unbearable circumstances, as well as from a crushing awareness of their own shortcomings and failings. Set to Gustav Holst’s beautiful Somerset Suite, this introductory track celebrates some of the Lord’s many acts of deliverance, from the days of Moses through to the miracles by which He delivered the apostles in their times of need. His arm is not shortened; He has not changed, and we seek Him with all our heart.
Featuring an instrumental version of the beautiful hymn, ‘O Sons and daughters of the King,’ this track narrates specific miracles of deliverance Yahweh Mephalti did on behalf of two very different people: the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and the faithful Romanian pastor, Richard Wurmbrand. Not all of us will know of the miracles God did to protect Churchill’s life: they are a great testimony to His power. And though most of us will know how the Lord preserved Richard Wurmbrand through many years of brutal imprisonment, we may not be familiar with the extraordinary story of how God used His servant’s time in prison to bless others even on the far side of the world by spreading the liberating message of the gospel in a most unusual way. In all such acts of deliverance, the Lord’s angels, His ministering spirits, play a vital role: not only through their extensive worship and service in the courts of Heaven but in the way they protect and enable us during our service for the Lord on Earth. May the Lord send unseen angels even this day to aid and succour many who find themselves in great need of rescue and relief.
Many fake news reports, false doctrines and wicked forces bombard people’s minds as the enemy of souls attempts to lead even the elect of God astray. Mercifully, our Lord Jesus is able to increase our discernment and keep us free from deception – provided only that we are diligent and vigilant in seeking Him, so that He may be able to present us before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy. (Jude 1:4) The track features a brief extract from an improvisation that we called ‘Cacophonous Harmony (!)’ followed by the poignant opening theme of Frederick Delius’ ‘Florida Suite,’ which in turn leads on to Gareth Sampson’s deeply moving ‘Now the years have passed.’
There are definitely no prizes on offer for identifying the music on this track! It is the lovely aria, ‘Sheep may safely graze’ from Bach’s Cantata BWV 208. How precious it is to know that we have been delivered from the orbit of our preoccupations to become the beloved ‘sheep of the Lord’s pasture’ – and even, as He sees us, His crown and masterpiece; His living poem, as Paul puts it, created anew in Christ Jesus to do the good deeds He has planned and purposed all along for us to do. (Eph. 2:10)
Set to the exquisite Andante from Borodin’s second string quartet, this track explores one of the really great mysteries of the faith: that it was not by forcibly resisting the hostile authorities that Jesus accomplished the salvation of the world, but rather by handing Himself over to them. For more on this radical idea, see the chapter The Stature of Waiting in Ravens and the Prophet. https://ruachministries.co.uk/ravens-and-the-prophet-the-stature-of-waiting
Celebrating the truth that God is our everlasting refuge and strength, even in a world that appears to be spinning out of control, this track features a piece that I wrote for Thomas Herzog to play on the cor anglais, as well as Carol Sampson’s own arrangement of the joyous hymn ‘God is love.’
The magnificent opening movement of Vivaldi’s concerto for two trumpets, which is played for us here by Anthony Thompson and Kevin Ashman, accompanies an exploration of some of the apparent contradictions we so often feel between how things are now, and how they will be in God’s glorious future. He truly is the Lord of History – and in His sight there is no breech in the continuity between the way He leads us now and how He will do so later in Heaven. What an amazing thought it is that He delivers us from so much dross and so many dangers now in order that we may be with Him for eternity!
Revolving around an instrumental version of Et in Terra Pax from Vivaldi’s Gloria, (‘And on Earth peace and goodwill towards all’) this finale to part one in this series speaks of . . . Well, have a listen and hear for yourself. May Yahweh Mephalti bless you as you do so.
Huw Humphries wrote this remarkable song, sung for us here by Megan Topper, to remind Israel of His kindness and goodness - and that even though they have so often failed to respond to Him, He has given them their land once again, and will draw peoples' hearts to worship Him.
The song started with God challenging me to sing at the keyboard one day when praying for a friend who was going through some very difficult things. It's a song that is highly appropriate for anyone going through hard times, as the Psalmist cries out to the Lord in anguish, declaring God's strength, and that He is our Rock and refuge. Written and sung by Sally Mowbray © 2022 Jo Garcia - Cello Nicola Gerrard - Flute
Leah’s Song set to a traditional Welsh melody, The Ashgrove The despairing words of this well-known song tell of a lover wandering in an ash grove, mourning the loss of the love of his life who has been taken from him too soon. I have given this beautiful folk tune a new focus, however, by taking for its subject the potentially tragic biblical figure of Jacob’s first wife, Leah. Subtly substituted for her more flamboyant sister into Jacob’s tent on his wedding night, on the pretence that local custom required the eldest daughter to be married first, Leah would forever live with the shadow of knowing that her husband infinitely preferred Rachel. She could so easily have wasted away under their withering disregard, especially as it was increasingly aggravated by Rachel’s sharp thorns and darts of envy toward her fertile sister. As one who must have suffered much in terms of feeling unwanted and rejected, Leah represents many who feel disregarded and mistreated. To her credit, she learned to praise God, even in her sorrow. The names she chose for her children reflect something of her journey: she knew that the Lord had seen that she was unloved and that He had opened her womb in response. (Gen. 29:31) She named her firstborn Reuben, which sounds like the Hebrew for ‘He has seen my misery.’ Her second was Simeon, for God is ‘one who hears,’ and her third Levi: ‘God will join,’ so named in the hope that God would finally cause her husband to love her. But her fourth son drew forth a new song from her – Judah: “This time, I will praise the Lord.” (Gen. 29:25) Well done, Leah! Your children were indeed amongst those who would become the founding fathers of Israel – and it was from Judah’s own line, of course, that would come not only King David, that great composer of psalms, but the Saviour of the whole world. You may not have been blessed with strong eyes, but you learned where to direct your heart in praise, and in time you became the mother of a nation – and an inspiration for each one of us to praise the Lord when we find ourselves in strange and uncharted territory. The second verse of our re-rendering of this song gives voice to our praise, adapting the words of the prolific American composer, Katherine Davis, who used the melody to set one of her own hymns. Let us indeed raise our song of thanksgiving! To Leah was given a husband unbidden In the darkness he mistook her for the love of his life He had waited for Rachel and longed to be her husband But then in the morning came the shock of his life This shame, would it now consume her, not being beloved by Jacob He setting his heart on Rachel to be first and not her? In praise Leah found refuge, not heeding her sadness, For God saw her mis'ry and blessed her estate. Let all things now living a song of thanksgiving To God the creator triumphantly raise; You fashioned and made us, protect and direct us, and guide us like Leah, to the end of our days. Your banner is o'er us, Your power goes before us, A pillar of fire shining forth in the night. Till shadows have vanished and darkness is banished Your purposes prosper as we pour forth our praise. Words of the first verse by Robert Weston Keys and vocals - Sally Mowbray Guitar - David Booth
Music: Lauda 2, written and performed by Bill Klein God, give us worthwhile work to do, and precious people to befriend for You. Meet with Your people, Lord, as they go to work this day. May all they do help to fulfil Your purposes in the world. Use us wherever we go today, more perhaps than we realise at the time. Grant to those who work in spiritually sterile places an awareness of Your presence and Your pleasure; a quiet determination to be there for You, rather than a slow counting of the hours. Bless those who are looking for work. Grant them hope and inspiration in their seeking – and joy and success in the finding. Help me not to try to play a role that is not mine to play. Let my heart be transparent so that people will trust me, and I can be open to them. Grant me grace to listen to what people have to say. It’s important to them and to You; And when I do speak, help me to bring Your love and wisdom. Fill the land with godly workers and God-inspired enterprise. Grant vision skill and good time management to the self-employed to fulfil their call. May our daily work and our spiritual vocation go hand in hand. Bless those who face ridicule or hostility for loving You. Help them know how to respond and proceed, and grant them opportunities to show and share the love of Christ. Help those who are wrestling with difficult or important decisions; and for those who have exams or interviews to sit.
Music: Lauda 3, written and performed by Bill Klein This is an extract from an exhortation Hilda gave her monks and nuns in the seventh Century at the great double monastery of Whitby. So trade with the gifts God has given you. Bend your minds to holy learning that you may escape the fretting moth of littleness of mind that would wear out your souls. Brace your wills to action that they may not be the spoils of weak desires. Train your hearts and lips to song, which gives courage to the soul. Being buffeted by trials, learn to laugh. Being reproved, give thanks. Having failed, determine to succeed.
Music: Vivaldi: 'Autumn' - Concerto No. 3 in F major from The Four Seasons Musicians: Shirley Richards, Suzanne Herzog, Helen Rees, Julian Chang, Jo Garcia Lord, we remember those who have meant a lot to us but from whom we have grown apart. Help us not to resent those who, for whatever reason, appear to have distanced themselves from us. Help us to honour the stand that they take for You, and their desire to seek after You. In Jesus’ name - bless those who were once our close friends and who are still Your beloved ones to this day.
Music: Francis Cummings: Psalm 45 Musicians: Francis Cummings, Cathie Muncey, Natalie Halliday, (strings) Mike Halliday (clarinet), Jane Horsfall (Celtic Harp) James Horsfall (keyboard) CS Lewis said, ‘God whispers to us in our pleasures; He speaks in our conscience, but He shouts in our pain; it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.’ Lord, we ask that You will come especially close now to all who are in special need of grace: the bereaved and confused, the downtrodden and destitute, and those who are suffering for the sake of righteousness. Father, I confess that my heart is often cold and indifferent to those who are suffering for loving You. I pray now for those whose lives and liberty are at risk for loving You. As you strengthened Paul in his sufferings, abundantly comfort all imprisoned saints this day. Give them strength and health in their times of trial. Deliver them and their loved ones from the poison of fearful thoughts, and bless them, and the communities that they represent, for the costly stand that they have taken. May they never feel alone in their suffering but sense Your presence very close to them in this, the time of their ordeal. May hope continue strong in their hearts, and minds and spirits remain unfettered, whatever men would do to them. In the name of Jesus, who sets the captives free, lead us now as we pray.
Music: An oboe concerto by Marcello and a sonata by Jean Baptiste Loeillet Musicians: Amy Roberts (oboe), Francis Cummings, Claire Lewis Lim, Chian Lewis Lim, Corinne Frost, Matthew Deakin (strings) It’s been said that there are no atheists on the night before a battle. Help us to seek You, Lord, in our times of crisis. ‘I cry out to God Most High, who fulfils His purposes for Me.’ In all our distress You too are distressed. In all our hurting You are present. Be with us in all the unexpected difficulties and dangers that we encounter on our way. ‘I cry out to God Most High, who fulfils His purposes for Me.’ Be with all who wrestle with inner doubts and struggles today, or who are experiencing a sense of shame. ‘I cry out to God Most High, who fulfils His purposes for Me.’ Lord, I am susceptible to discouragement. It is the most insidious of all the devil’s temptations because it severs the nerve of kingdom love and enterprise. Stir my spirit to keep on trusting You, and not to succumb to the pangs of despondency. ‘I cry out to God Most High, who fulfils His purposes for Me.’ Help me to go on seeking You even when You seem very far way. ‘I cry out to God Most High, who fulfils His purposes for Me.’ Thank You that You are determined to drive complacency and unbelief far from our hearts. Beyond the turmoil, may we glimpse Your glory. Come, Spirit of fire, burn up the dross in our hearts. Send such people and circumstances into our lives as will help Your light to shine in our hearts. In the name of Jesus, the Refiner of His people Our needs are known to You, Lord, yet You want us to bring them to You. Grant us everything that will help us to do Your work most effectively. Your coming is sure but unannounced: come now and be glorified in the meeting of our needs. In the name of Jesus, the One who meets our needs.
Music: The Second movement of Torelli’s trumpet Concerto in D (Etienne), plus an improvisation on the theme. Musicians: Philippa Barton, Helen Rees, Julian Chan, Jo Garcia, (strings) James Horsfall (keyboard) Solzhenitsyn wrote, ‘The line dividing good and evil cuts through the hearts of every human being, and which of us is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?’ Make us willing to face the things we need to face. Help us to overcome evil not just by avoiding infringing specific laws, but by being diligent in seeking You. May no pressures from within or without blunt our zeal for You. Lord, deliver us from evil. Confound confusion and scatter all the powers that are arrayed against us. Increase the flow of trust and the spirit of prayer within our hearts. “No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me," declares the Lord. We pray for those whose days are spent in close proximity to scheming people and corrupt and evil systems. Remind and reassure them that their present condition will not last for ever, that You will find a way to break the chains that bind them and set them free. In their loneliness, draw near. Keep them from inner confusion and alienation. Help us not to be gullible in the face of evil, Lord, but to recognise it clearly for what it is – even if that means admitting that we ourselves have been at fault. Help us to avoid excuses and denials which hinder Your work of truth.
Music: A beautiful piece that Richard Williamson originally improvised, followed by further improvisations Musicians: Julian Chang (viola soloist) Julia Herzog, Shirley Richards, Suzanne Herzog, (strings), James Horsfall (keyboard) Forgive us, Lord, that we are the generation that believes in our disbelief. There is no limit to the depravity that we have fallen into, Lord, or to the cynicism we have embraced. Are You not right when You decree your judgement against a land that has enthroned ways contrary to Your laws? Yet just as we have experienced Your mercy in our own lives, so we dare to pray that You will look with favour, even now, on our land. Be not a passing stranger or an unwelcome guest, but come as the Bright Morning Star, as the ruler and leader of Your people, and the Saviour of the Land. High King of Heaven Remember not what we have done, Nor all we deserve, But for Your own name’s sake Renew and restore Your people. Send a fresh wave of Your Spirit, And raise up Your co-workers to rebuild Your church and win this nation for Christ. We ask in the name of Jesus and for Your glory, Lord. High King of Heaven, as nations rage in turmoil, we proclaim the coming King Who has promised to return and who is standing at the door. Break open the doors that are closed to You, that those far away may be drawn to You, And those at odds with each other find each other again in You. Even though we live surrounded by people who love us, Lord, there come times when we feel utterly isolated, when only You can know the sorrow in our heart. Perhaps You have designed it like this, Lord, so that when the trials feel too heavy for us to bear on our own, we have to hand them to You. Help us not to doubt You in the darkness, nor to hold back from following You. And though it sometimes seems as though the hour of opportunity has passed us by, and darkness has tolled its bell, yet we praise You that You never change, You are always the same. Grant us courage to attempt what You have put within our hearts to do, for it is as we set out to do things that You send Your blessing. ‘Do not be afraid, I have come to save you. You are special to me, and I know your name. When the deep dark waters of trouble swirl around you, I am with you. Water now the roots of our hearts, that our spirits may not wither. At the scent of water, let them spring back to life again.
Music: Albinoni: Opus 9, no. 2 D minor oboe concerto – 2nd movt. Adagio Musicians: Anthony Thompson, (trumpet) Philippa Barton, Helen Rees, Julian Chang, Jo Garcia (strings) Simon Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I’m going you cannot come, for the moment, but you shall follow me afterwards.” Death is not the extinguishing of light, but the blowing out of the candle because the dawn has come.’ Father we place into Your hands all who are grieving now, who have had hopes or loved ones snatched away. Great heart of our heart, comfort and support them in their loneliness. May good memories live on and vain regrets be resisted. Grant them Your supernatural peace and the confidence to know that there will be new life beyond the loss and abandonment – and that You will somehow replace all that they have lost or had taken from them. Come Spirit of Hope Pour out Your Mercy on us. Come Spirit of Grace Bid condemnation flee away. Come Spirit of Glory Anoint Your people now. There is no hope Unless You provide it, There is no grace Until You intervene. There is no glory Until Your Spirit comes.
Music: Vivaldi: Concerto in D minor Op. 8:7 2nd movement. Musicians: Shirley Richards, Helen Rees, Cathie Muncey, Chian Lewis Lim, Corinne Frost, (strings) Fontane Liang (harp) Bless all who even now are waking up on the far side of the world and looking to You. Hold our nation in the palm of Your hand. As night falls and the workers of darkness bestir themselves, Protect our land from their malice and from acts of wanton destruction. Loose each victim from those who send out tormenting spells, From all snares of seduction and bewitching, from lust and depravity, from despondency and despair. May the outstretched hand of the Lord push back the frontiers of darkness, and grant such strength and succour that those who follow You may never tire of serving You. Lord, we follow Your leading now, as You prompt our spirits to pray now, far beyond our place of work or neighbourhood, far beyond our Christian circles and connections, Holy Spirit of Prayer, set our hearts free to follow Your leading now.
Music: From the Oboe Concerto by Cimarosa Musicians: Thomas Herzog, (oboe) Francis Cummings, Suzanne Herzog, Chian Lewis Lim, Corinne Frost, Jo Garcia (strings) In the stillness of my heart, Lord, I wait for You. I long to hear Your voice and to follow You. Help me to recognise and harness those emotions which are creative and to avoid those which are destructive. When I’m feeling angry, let it make me more prayerful – but let it not consume me with resentment or leave me bent on vengeance. Deliver us from our fears, Lord, but help us to recognise which ones need to be resisted and which may be telling us something important about ourselves. May no lack of courage cause us to miss the opportunities that You send our way. Thank You that You guide us carefully and gently. If You had not refreshed us, we would not have made it this far. Help us to resist the many accusations and the guilt which the Accuser of the Brethren sends our way. Help us to overcome the nagging thought that we have nothing much to offer, for this makes us so much less willing to attempt things for You. Keep us from a “hardening of the oughteries” – that nagging sense that we ought to be doing more than we are, or be doing something else altogether. Develop within us a deeper sense of steadfastness and gratitude as an antidote to these restless and compulsive thoughts. When I’m feeling hesitant and uncertain Lord, rebuke the fear. You are so much greater than my fears and dismal forebodings. Help me to notice who is fearful and drifting, and to go out after them, just like a sheep dog rounding up sheep. We declare war on those fears and worries which make us believe that all is at an end, when, in reality, You still have so much to do in and through our lives.
