The Breath of God

“When you can’t breathe, nothing else matters” is a key message of the American Lung Association. Breathing sustains our lives. As the air we exhale vibrates our vocal cords, we create speech. The Bible uses God’s breath and Words to symbolize life. Therefore, “When you don’t breathe the ‘breath of God,’ nothing else matters.”

The breath of God created the universe. “By the word of Yehovah the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host” (Psalm 33:6, 9). Eight times in Genesis we read, “God said” in describing how the universe was created (Genesis 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26). The New Testament also affirms this account stating, “the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible” (Hebrews 11:3).

The breath of God gave life to humans, “Then Yehovah God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7). God’s breath sustains the life of all living creatures (Numbers 16:22, 27:16) and especially humanity. Job proclaimed, “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life” (Job 33:4). Conversely, “if He should gather to Himself His spirit and His breath, all flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust” (Job 34:14-15).

The breath of Yeshua (Jesus) gives the Holy Spirit to all who accept Him as their Lord and savior. “He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” (John20:22). The Holy Spirit is to our spiritual life what oxygen is to our physical life – indispensable! The Holy Spirit enlightens our understanding of scripture (John 14:26) and enables us to grow spiritually (1 Peter 1:2).

The breath of the Holy Spirit gave us the Bible that directs and sustains our spiritual life. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). It also prepares us to “Give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15). Scripture was given to us as “men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (2 Peter 1:20-21). Yeshua emphasized the importance of scripture to our spiritual lives when He taught Deuteronomy 8:3 “man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of Yehovah.” (Matthew 4:4 and Luke 4:4.) Compared with the Scriptures, “the thoughts of man, they are a mere breath” (Psalm 94:11).

In light of these truths, let us Join with David who proclaimed in Psalm 150:6, “Let everything that has breath praise Yehovah!”

May breathing the “breath of God” become as essential to you as breathing oxygen. We breathe more deeply when enduring physical struggles. May you breathe more deeply His breath when you face the trials of life.