Ruach, Breath of God

Ruach, Breath of God

Spirit of the living God

Breathe afresh on me,

Spirit of the living God

Breathe afresh on me,

Bend me, mould me, fill me, use me,

Spirit of the living God

Fall afresh on me.

How many remember this beautiful song from the 80’s and 90’s? How many, I wonder, know for yourselves the truth and power of the breath, the Ruach of God in your life? Can any of us realise the strength and power of His breath?

At the dawn of creation, God breathed the words, “Let there be . . . . . “, and there was. Genesis 1.

As the Israelites fled Egypt towards the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21) God breathed and a strong east wind parted the sea, made it dry land, and they all crossed to safety. God then withheld His breath, the East wind dropped, and the sea closed in over the pursuing Egyptian armies and killed every one of them.

Ezekiel 37 tells us the story of the valley of dry bones. God said to the prophet to “prophesy to bones”,  and flesh came upon them but no life. Then God said to the prophet to “prophesy to the breath”. He did so and God breathed life into those dry bones now made flesh and blood once more.

Finally, in this post, we see a vision of a gold lamp stand and two olive trees in Zechariah 4 The angel of the Lord says to Zechariah that we do things “Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit says the Lord.”

The point is that without the breath of God and His power, we can do nothing, we are nothing. The Holy Spirit is referred to as the Ruach, the breath of God. God uses us, yes. He equips us, yes. He envisions us, yes, but without His Spirit in us and through us, we can do nothing of our own strength.

We need the Ruach, the power, the wind, the breath of God to fall afresh on us – every day.