Vivaldi Allemande

Seek the Lord your God

in the place that he chooses

for you to worship in:

the place where His name will be honoured

Many of us find mountain tops

an excellent place for meeting the Lord

and getting rid of persistent worries.

But since we can't all go

and climb literal mountains right now,

but there will always be ways

in which we can make time to be with Him

and to find places

where we can go

to gain more of His strength

and perspective.

Lord show us where they are and help us to make haste to find them

Bless the places we hold special, Lord,

where our spirit communes most deeply with You.

We sanctify our homes to You,

and ask that they be noble places for You to dwell.

Make some special part

a resting place for love,

and a furnace to inspire the fire of prayer.

Lie beneath a tree.

Admire its shape.

Marvel at

the changing

seasons

Let your bare soles discern

the beauty of the rocks

beneath your feet,

the intricate patterns I have woven

in that all I have shaped.

Marimba improvisation

I push a little way behind the thing I see, and something seems to say, "hush," very quietly.

That is God's private secret. He has not told it to me. For the secre things belong to God, whereas the things He has revealed belong to us and our children forever.

The writer of Proverbs mentions various things that he couldn't fathom. I'm acutely conscious of countless things I cannot grasp. Sharpen my perspective, Lord, on the way that You concealed Your Son until the right time came to announce Him to the world. The patience by which You shape Your people wholly in preparation for the plans You possess for us beyond the edge of time.

Praise You for Your purposes for Israel; for the time when the hardening of their hearts becomes a thing of the past.

Thank You too for the time when all secrets are revealed on the great and final day when You overthrow all foes by the splendour of Your coming.

Keep us in the meantime from the harm of the viper's charm and the secret power of lawlessness. For it is where there is care and kindness and heart-concern that You are to be found. Not in the concrete jungle of sharp business deals or the entanglements of ecstatic party-land. And where pleasure is no longer the main yard-measure, You bestow a very great deal to enjoy.

You find so many ways to affirm those who look to You to make their utimate choices, who cleave most closely to receive Your still small Voice and kindly leading.

While the waves are lapping softly on ancient shores, entire new realms are opening up and You are seeking the staunch and brave to launch the next phase of Your final purposes. To them You show Yourself as You really are and whisper words of we'el and welcome.

Albinoni

Just as the Lord Jesus admired the faith of the centurion,

He is often dismayed as His children shrink back through lack of faith.

He was outstretched for us so that we can stretch out the rod of authority

and decree His word of release into tightly shut situations.

The dragon hates those who respond in such faith, and thrashes them with the scaly horror of his tail.’

Don’t let his dragon flicks of grief or wounded pride push you off course.

From his cave of sad and sorry memories he bids you lower the scope of your expectations and diminish your hope.

Continue to trust when dark clouds surround His throne.

He is still the God who speeds to save His children,

testing the bonds of all we hold most dear

as we endure beyond the tightening pinch.

Despite all abominations that bring desolation,

the Lord is moving things towards the final consummation;

and when the times have reached their fulfilment,

He will bring all things in Heaven,

and all bridgeheads on Earth,

together under one Head.

Loeillet oboe concerto

Time is of the essence,

My children, and you will not want to waste a single moment of it.

But when you really do not have any to spare, continue to feed on the wing, and hasten slowly lest rash rapid rushing leads headlong to a crash – and then, when times of special strain are past, take care to tend your soul again.

Since the onslaught has been so intense, So too is your need to rest and immerse yourself in Me.

The day will come when I measure grace back to you in long precious stretches of uninterrupted time.

I am not like the planners of this world – who easily forget the past and misread the future.

With Me, the past, present and future flow as one continual river, so that what I do today impacts on some more distant event downstream, even as the things that come your way today have their roots entwined in the far distant past.

Time is of the essence, but I am calling you now to sit and be.

Let Me be the chronometer

that keeps the time

and the metronome

that strikes the balance

in your days.

Beyond Isaiah 50 - Improvisation that led on from one of Linda Entwistle's songs

Whatever is worthy of praise, noble, kind, inspired;

Whatever bears the stamp of Your Spirit’s likeness

there let our hearts dwell,

our lives caught up in Your creative purposes,–

our hearts a true reflection of Your own.

If anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask Me for it,

for I know where it dwells and I alone understand the way to it. (Job 28:23)

If you can corral your thoughts

and focus on whatever is true,

this will keep you from many a mistaken point of view,

and overwrought distress as you try to second guess

what others might have thought and meant.

Repent and nurture trust and confidence

by choosing to see situations

through the cleansing lens of truth and benevolence.

My wisdom comes wherever souls are sufficiently empty to receive it,

even as the wind sweeps through the most remote regions,

and the waters reach their greatest depths in the vast ocean troughs –

and lightning strikes along the lines of least resistance.

The awareness of all that you are lacking

represents a fresh opportunity –

and I will gladly impart all your heart is longing for

My children, what you are so benefitting from

in this phase of your life, is deeper and richer far,

but there were aspects in your previous role

that are missing in your new experience.

Draw without pining on this memory store,

and make the most of every opportunity -

for past and present alike add to the riches of wisdom’s store.

You so often want all the ends to be neatly tied together,

but when I confirm the call to step out of where you are,

do not rationalise the call away.

Be prepared to reach out,

even when a blinding smothering mist descends,

obscuring the way ahead.

It is only when you take those first important steps

that you find the firmer rock beneath your feet.

I meet you where you are

but invite you to where I am,

So turn not just your face

but your whole being towards Me.

When what you are most deeply counting on falls apart,

I will still find ways for the ship

that bears the flag of the Lamb to sail straight through.

Don’t get in a fury

when someone crucial leaves their post,

or resent the ones who have gone.

They may have had more wisdom than you know.

Even if the manner of their parting left much to be desired,

I will make the help of other pilgrims available to you.

However holed you feel below the waterline

I have dates and rendez-vous in mind

and am already thinking how and what threads to rethread.

That is why you must continue to sail the shipping lanes

until you obtain your heart’s desire;

for how could it be that you would not receive that which you most desire?

Burst into Song - Linda Entwistle

Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth!

Sing about the glory of His name

Tell the world how glorious he is

Say to God how awesome are your deeds

Your enemies cringe before your mighty power

Everything on earth will worship you

They will sing your praises shouting your name in glorious songs

Come and see what our god has done

What awesome miracles he performs for people

He made a dry path through the red sea and his people went across on foot

By his great power he rules forever

He watches every movement of the nations

Let no rebel rise in defiance.

Let the whole world bless our God and loudly sing His praises.

Our lives are in his hands and he keeps our feet from stumbling

Knock on the doors of rich and poor alike, Lord Jesus –

right across the world,

from Southend to South America,

let a profound reawakening arise.

Let no soulish power cause godly longings to take wrong turns,

lest those who You are drawing

turn aside after lesser goals,

or be hijacked by other powers,

and promising starts prove but the falsest of dawns.

In all things keep the stream of our longings

within the safety bounds of holy ground

as they arise to this awakening call.

In the power of conquering compassion,

in the first light of glimmering dawn,

whisper precious insights

that will survive the noonday heat

and reach their highest peak.

The Host Of Heaven by Ruach Breath of Life

The Song of the Vineyard by Ruach Breath of Life

Many people have been making great use of Psalm 91 recently. We hope you will find this reflection an encouragement to dwell in the Lord at this time.

These are the lovely pieces of music that you will hear:

Holy is the Lord of Hosts by Kevin Sumpter

He holds me in His arms: Improvisation by Christiane von Albrecht

Wie lieblich by Andreas Henkel

The Lord is my Shepherd by Francis Cummings

La Vide Breve by Manuel de Falla

Day is Done by Linda Entwistle

Harp and flute Improvisation by Fontane Liang and Nicola Gerard

Birdsong: Improvisation by Christiane von Albrecht

Thy Holy Wings by Lina Sandell

A friend wrote to me recently recalling a vision that she had had some years ago in which she was hanging on to the end of a rope, way up in the clouds high above the ground. She was terrified because, although she was holding on to the rope as tightly as she could, the rope was fraying rapidly.

Eventually she was just hanging on by the few remaining threads and knew that when the rope finally broke, she would crash to the ground.

But the end of the dream was totally unexpected. The rope broke and she assumed that this would be the end of her – but indeed she found herself flying!

With times so hard for countless people, and so many feeling desolate and desperate, we called this piece ‘The End of the Rope.’ It could equally as well have been ‘Hanging on by a thread!’

Let's play and pray this on behalf of many who are feeling under great pressure at this time, and in need of a very deep touch and series of miracles from the Lord Jesus. Thomas Herzog is the oboist in this rendering of a piece by the English composer John Baston.