Breathe by Natalie Gibb
Inhale to Exhale
Oxygen to Carbon Dioxide
Dust to Human
Anxiety to Peace
Worry to Calm
Dead to Life
Presence
When God breathed His very breath into us we changed. We became. He shaped us and formed us from the ground and then He breathed life into us. From the very beginning, His breath transformed what was nothing and formless to living, breathing creatures. As we look around we can see Him creating and transforming nature. He transforms the seasons around us and within us. We watch and trust that oxygen changes to carbon dioxide and breathes life into trees and flowers. Our breath gives life to creation itself. The Word says:
To this day we are aware of the universal agony and groaning of creation as if it were in the contractions of labor for childbirth. And it’s not just creation. We who have already experienced the first fruits of the Spirit also inwardly groan as we passionately long to experience our full status as God’s sons and daughters—including our physical bodies being transformed. For this is the hope of our salvation. Romans 8:22-24 TPT
What are we taught to do when we labor in childbirth? We breathe in deep. What should we do when we have anxiety or worry? Breathe deep and slow breaths! We fill our lungs with the very breath of God and we trust and we wait and we hope. We long with expectant hearts for the fullness of your promises God.
But hope means that we must trust and wait for what is still unseen. For why would we need to hope for something we already have? So because our hope is set on what is yet to be seen, we patiently keep on waiting for its fulfillment. Romans 8:25 TPT
The soft breeze on a still, summer day reminds of His presence. The deep breaths that fill our lungs in the morning after a good night’s sleep remind us of His protection even while we sleep. The sound of a soulmate’s breathing next to us reminds us of His blessings. And the gut-wrenching breaths we take after a loss, when we have forgotten to breathe, remind us that He never leaves us nor forsakes us. The very first cry of a newborn reminds us of His infinite creativity and love for us. From birth to death, from first breath to the last sigh, His very Spirit fills our lungs and reminds us that we are not alone and we are not stagnant. As long as there is breath there is hope for transformation. Creation testifies to it on a daily basis. Do you believe it?
Father,
Fill our lungs again and again with your breath. Help us to hope and wait well. Help us to be patient. Help us trust that you will fulfill your promises. Until that day, help us to fill our lungs with your breath and BREATHE! May you be glorified with every breath we take, even on the hard days. And may you remind us when we forget to breathe in deep, that we have access to the living hope in us by the power of your son, Jesus Christ. Teach us to trust and believe that you are our source for hope and that every breath we take has a purpose!
Amen
