Into Your hands: Praying for Souls in Distress
A passionate prayer for believers going through various different mills, set to equally passionate music.
This is an invitation to join in spirit in praying for and on behalf of people who are in great distress, whether in body, mind or spirit.
Some years ago, I heard an intriguing musical theme in my spirit. I jotted the notes down and wrote it up as a piece for piano, before passing it on to James Horsfall, who, with great skill and creativity, shaped it into the powerful piece of music that we were able to record. Recently I have been feeling the pain of those in great distress, and in need of both help and hope, and so I wrote this in-depth prayer to set to it.
Because the prayer was longer than the music that James and I had written, I brought in a short but lovely movement from a concerto by the English composer John Baston, which Thomas Herzog plays for us on the oboe. The presentation starts, however, with a most unusual rendering of the hymn, ‘O come, O come, Emmanuel’.
The tune for this hymn originated in Old French funeral processions – something that this largely improvised recording reflects, starting as it does in a very dark place, in keeping with the sense of souls in the utmost distress and in need of Christ’s help.
Occasional echoes of that hymn recur further on in the words of the prayer – along with nine precious words from Elizabeth Goudge, that together form three short prayers: Into Your hands. Thee we adore. Lord, have mercy.
See: https://ruachministries.co.uk/project/three-prayers-in-nine-words/
Other sources that I drew on in writing these words include the 19th century hymn writer, William Cowper, a genius who suffered from bouts of recurring mental illness, and King David, who knew from only too much experience what it was to be in deep distress.
The brief extracts from Psalm 22 anticipate Jesus Himself crying out from the Cross: “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?” In his cry of distress to the Lord to be close in times of trouble, the psalmist was unknowingly making highly prophetic allusions to the far-off events on Calvary, and speaking reassuringly of the Lord neither ‘scorning nor despising the suffering of His afflicted ones;’ not hiding His face from them but listening to their cry for help.
It is always good to ‘earth’ and apply the prayers we share, so may we suggest you ask the Lord to bring people to mind to name before His throne – either as you begin to listen to it, or after you have listened to the piece for the first time so that you can play the it again and lift them into the Lord’s hands at the same time.
May the Lord bring many people and situations to mind as you listen to this piece.
In all our distress You too are distressed, and the angel of Your presence saves us. In Your love and mercy You redeem us; you lift us up and carry us, all our days . Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, Earth, burst into song, you mountains! You comfort Your people and have compassion on Your afflicted ones, when You see that their strength has gone. (Isaiah 63:9, 49:13, Deut. 32:36 personalised).