The Wonder of the Cross – 40 Days with the Music of Vicky Beeching
Day 14 – Thursday after Lent 2 – Breath Of God
To Read:
From the Scriptures:
Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.”’ 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet – a vast army.
11 Then he said to me: ‘Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, “Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.” 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.”’
(Ezekiel 37v9-14)
From Vicky Beeching:
Breath Of God
In the beginning was darkness and nothing
Your Spirit was moving over the deep
You spoke a whisper and creation existed
Birthed by the mighty words that You speak
Just say the word and my weary soul
Will be renewed
Breathe on me O breath of God
And fill me with life anew
Breathe on me O breath of God
And set this heart on fire for You
Bones in a valley were changed into an army
Raised by Your Spirit’s powerful touch
Here in Your presence I’m needing Your refreshing
Lord please revive my heart with Your love
Just say the word and my weary soul will be renewed
Chorus
Revival fire fall down like the rain
Revival fire set my soul ablaze (repeats)
Set us ablaze
Set us on fire. Set us on fire. Set us on fire.
Chorus – repeat
To Listen: ‘Breath of God’ by Vicky Beeching:
To Reflect:
So, as Lent makes its way towards its Second Sunday have you yet sung the hymn ‘Breathe on me, Breath of God’? It is one of those sets of words that has had many tunes, almost all set in a minor key, and so deemed to be ‘Lent Appropriate’ that it is very difficult to escape it. Be it S.S. Wesley‘s “Aylesbury“, the Irish tune “St. Columba“, or Charles Lockhart‘s “Carlisle“. It has become a Lenten staple. None of the tunes, however, being more criticised than Robert Jackson’s. “Trentham” of which hymnologist Donald Webster stated, “One might conclude from [this tune] and the way it is sung that the breath of God was an anaesthetic, not a ‘Giver of Life’.”[1]
With comments such as that who would dare write any music for worship? Let alone, as Vicky has in today’s song, re-written these perhaps too familiar words with a twist that calls forth life in creation, in the valley of dry bone and in our own morbidity. Thank you Vicky for giving us a song for Lent that makes our spirits soar and says ‘yes’ to a world that has chosen to live life in a minor key.
So,
Having read the words,
Having checked that they reflect Scripture correctly,
Having listened to this, if not other versions, of a tune to them,
Are we going to dare let the ‘Breath of God’ breathe on us?
Can we cope with being ‘filled with life anew’
And Lord, do we really have to have our ‘hearts set on fire for You’?
Gulp, but please, yes
To Pray:
Heavenly King,
Paraclete,
Spirit of Truth,
present in all places and filling all things,
Treasury of good and Choir-master of life:
come and dwell within us,
cleanse us from all stains
and save our souls.
(Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom)
To Do:
On the next windy day try to stand outside and face the wind ask God to blow the fidgets out of your life and replace them with peace and joy.
oooOOOooo
If you would like to find out more about Vicky and her work here is a link to her Wikipedia entry. For a fuller picture her autobiography ‘Undivided’ is highly recommended
Please Note: These reflections are also published on my blog: suffolkvicarhomes.com on Bluesky as @suffolkvicar.bsky.social, and on my public Facebook page Suffolk Vicar – Rev Andrew Dotchin.
If you would like them as a daily email please send a request to revdotchin@gmail.com
If you have enjoyed reading them please make a donation to The Clergy Support Trust who provide generous grants to help clergy.
Acknowledgements:
These Reflections, ‘The Wonder of the Cross – 40 Days with the Music of Vicky Beaching’ are copyright © Andrew Dotchin 2026 and may be reproduced without charge on condition that their source is acknowledged.
All of the music on the video clips are from YouTube and are © Vicky Beeching.
If you enjoy listening to her songs please consider buying her recordings. A full discography and other information about Vicky can be found on her website vickybeeching.com.
Scripture quotations are from The New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Prayers are from A Diary of Prayer compiled by Elizabeth Goudge and are copyright © 1966 The Estate of Elizabeth Goudge.
[1] For a full history of tunes for this hymn – from which Vicky’s version is sadly lacking visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breathe_on_Me,_Breath_of_God#cite_note-boh-5
Suffolk Vicar 