Breathe
It seems like the Lord speaks to me a lot through simple words. I will be praying or thinking and a word will come to me and that will be what I meditate on and study for the next few days. So last week's word was breathe. The definition of breathe is to pause and rest before continuing or to take in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide.
These thoughts led me to John 20:19-22 "On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you". After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you!" As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit."
The disciples were in hiding, they were discouraged, disillusioned, depressed and afraid for their lives. And Jesus walks into their situation and says "Peace be with you". He wasn't just greeting them; he was imparting to them his Peace. Then he commissions them, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."
The next thing he does is breathe on them. Are you ever in that situation and just need new life? Just as Jesus breathed on the disciples and imparted new life, he will do the same for us in our difficult situations. We need to Breathe-pause before continuing and breathe in:
We need to breathe in new life, breathe in peace, breathe in faith, courage, breathe in his power, breathe in Jesus. And then exhale the fear, exhale the worry, exhale the failure, exhale the negative thoughts.
As we do this, we take in what we need to live and exhale the carbon dioxide or waste - what is unnecessary to survive.
A song by Joy Williams starts with these words,
"You breathe and life begins.
You speak and my world makes sense,
Thats how it is, When it comes to you.
Lets breathe in Jesus today!
