Breathe

Why is it that when we enter into a season that feels full and challenging, the first thing on our calendar to be sacrificed is our time with Jesus? Know that I am not asking this in a condemning or criticizing way but in a curious kind of way. Also note that I used the word “we” because I would be lying if I said that there weren’t occasionally days when I hit the snooze button and slept through my morning time with Jesus because I’d been burning the midnight oil the night before.

Maybe we do this because we know God sees our humanity and extends infinite grace, mercy, compassion, and love to us in our faults and failures. It’s possible that we do it because it seems to be literally the only thing we can cut from our day without major, immediate consequences. Whatever the reason, I’ve heard countless people say that it’s far too easy to exchange our time with God for time spent doing something else.

But here’s the thing that confuses me: we think that in order to be more productive, successful, and efficient not a moment of our precious time can be squandered. Believe me, I get that. After all, time is our most valuable resource. The reality, though, is that taking time to sit with the Author, Creator, Sustainer, and Ruler of all things is by far the most productive way we could spend our time.

Job 12:10 reminds us, “In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.”

We run into trouble when we fill our days so full that we don’t have enough time for the God. I’ve been thinking about this a lot as I think through what a healthy rhythm might be for this very full Fall season. Here’s what I’ve come to learn about myself. I need God breathing life into each and every day. I suffocate when my schedule is chaotic and when God has been crowded out. I feel the spiritual, physical, and relational parts of myself gasping for air when my daily quiet mornings alone with God get neglected.

Pneuma is the Greek word for breath. Does it sound a little like pneumonia to you? They share the same root word. You’re probably familiar with pneumonia. Maybe you’ve even fought it recently. You know that pneumonia is a medical condition that causes difficulty breathing. Without a regular rhythm intentionally spent allowing God to breathe into our weary souls, we strain to get the life giving breath that we need to thrive.

Job 33:4 says, “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”

I think we get a kind of soul pneumonia when we don’t create time for the Spirit of God to breathe life into our weary bodies. Sweet sisters, I wonder how much different our day might look if we made it a habit begin every one sitting with God?

Maybe nothing in our situation or circumstances would change at all, but I wonder how much different our hearts and minds might feel? I wonder if some of those striving, suffocating, gasping feels might dissipate as we breathe in the Breath of Life.

Let’s be people who go to God every day and breathe deeply of His life giving power!

Prayer

God, we turn to you as our source of strength, help, hope, power, and peace. Help us to daily breathe in the things of God like prayer, scripture reading, and worship because we know that You give us life. We thank you God for your power alive and active in us. Amen.

Scripture for Meditation

Job 12:10
“In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.”

Job 33:4
“The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”

Journal Reflection

Is it easy for you to crowd out God? How can you go to Him daily to breathe in His life giving power? What might that look like in your current schedule? Where could you devote some regular time to meet with God?

Practice

This week's practice is Breath Prayer. Remember, during breath prayer you repeat a phrase as you deeply inhale and exhale. Let's practice breath prayer with Job 33:4.

As you deeply inhale focus on the phrase, “The Spirit of God has made me,
And as you deeply exhale, focus on the phrase "and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”

Practice these deep inhales and exhales as you think on the two parts of this verse.