The Ruach Elohim

I got up before my kiddos yesterday and went to the grocery store.  I wanted to be prepared to not leave my house for a while, and while we have plenty of food in our pantry, my crew of 6 eats through the pershables so quickly!  I can honestly say that through all of this I have had great peace.  It feels surreal.  I forget for a while that everything is turned on its head.  And of course there are moments of gravity when I read the news, but overall I have felt peace.  And true confession of a partial introvert and of the secret desires of a sometimes wanna be homeschool mom… I Love being home with my kids!  I even love the homeschool part. :)

BUT when I was in the grocery store yesterday, I was overwhelmed by what I felt all around me- fear.  It was almost tangible.  I arrived when the store opened and had to hunt in the parking lot for a cart.  As I walked up and down the aisles, the fear all around me was unmistakable.  I found myself praying in the Spirit under my breath.  I made a point to look people in the eyes and to smile at them (from 6 feet away of course!).  Under my breath I declared the peace of God as I walked.  I thanked the ladies at the checkout for serving all of us so diligently so that we can buy groceries.  Everyday heroes.  

And I came home and watched my dear friend Avril’s “thoughtful Thursday” facebook live video.  She shared that God had been speaking to her about the Ruach- the Hebrew word for the breath of God.  Ruach means “breath,” “wind,” or “spirit.”  It is used in Genesis when the spirit of God hovered over the deep in the creation story.  It appears again after the flood as “the wind of God” and is the means by which God restores the earth.   As my friend pointed out, this virus acts by stealing the very breath from people’s lungs.  Both she and another friend have been posting about how God has been speaking to them about praying for His ruah Elohim (the breath of God) to be released to counteract this virus.

Then this morning, the prayer app I use randomly gave me a reminder to pray the “breath of God scriptures” that I had compiled probably two years ago to pray against asthma in my girls.  I shared this with my friends and one of them remarked that she felt this was a “kairos” time.  Kairos is the Greek word used in the scripture Ephesians 6:18, (NLT) "Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere." The word there for “time” means “the right, critical, or opportune moment.”  It doesn’t mean to pray all the time… it means to pray at every “opportune” or “critical” time.  

Another verse that is coming to my mind is a seemingly off-hand comment in the Old Testament. 1 Chronicles 12:32 (NIV) refers to the men of Issachar as “…men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do…”. I believe that my friend is right and this is a Kairos moment and God is calling us to be a people who understand the times and know what to do.  We are to be a people who remember that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but are mighty in God to the pulling down of strongholds!

The enemy has released a plague on the earth that steals the breath of man, but God has called us to recognize his heart and to declare a move of the ruach Elohim, the breath of God, to cover the earth and to bring life!  Now is the time for us to rise up in our homes, in the secret places, to turn on our worship music and to begin to enter into to His presence like never before!  The song, “The Blessing” by Kari Jobe has grabbed my heart and I have seen many posting it.  I believe it is the heart of God for us to declare His favor and blessing over our cities and countries and future generations!

We have been born at a strategic time and have the honor of being part of seeing a great move of God birthed in the earth.  David Wilkerson prophesied in 1986, “ I see a plague coming on the world, and the bars, churches, and govenment will shut down.  The plague will hit New York Ciy and shake it like it has never been shaken.  The plague is going to force prayerless believers into radical prayer and into their bibles and repentance will be the cry from the men of God from the pulpit.  And out of it will come a third Great Awakening that will sweep America and the world.”

God is not surprised by all of this- as we are.  He also has not called us to sit back and watch helplessly.  Everyone of us was made in his image and it is His ruach, his breath of life, that fills our lungs.  We have the privilege  of partnering with God and praying like Jesus said that His will would be done on the earth.  

When we think we don’t know what to pray, we need to remember that God has written the words of Life for us in the bible.  He has told us what to pray- His Word!  These scriptures are what I have prayed many nights sitting in the dark in the wee hours next to one of my babies who was struggling to take a full breath with the nebulizer strapped on her little face.  I was not alone.  And neither are you.  God is faithful.  Join me today in declaring His breath will fill the earth!

Genesis 2:7

Then the Lord formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

2 Tom. 3:16

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…

2 Thess. 2:8

Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming.

John 20:21-22

So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent me, so I also send you.”  And when He had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Psalm 33:6

By the Word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host.

Job 26:13

By His breath the heavens are cleared; His hand has pierced the fleeing serpent.

Job 33:4

The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almight gives life.

Job 32:8

But it is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding.

Ezekial 37:4-6

4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath[a] enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

Isaiah 11:4

but with righteousness he will judge the needy,

    with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;

    with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

Isaiah 40:24

No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown,

    no sooner do they take root in the ground,

than he blows on them and they wither,

    and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.

(I pray this about the plan of the enemy)

Isaiah 59:19

From the west, people will fear the name of the Lord,

    and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory.

For he will come like a pent-up flood

    that the breath of the Lord drives along.

The Blessing by Kari Jobe