Genesis 2:7 Then the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.
My friend Glennis asked her hundred-year-old grandfather what the secret to longevity was. He said, “Keep breathing.” Yes, that is good advice as simple as it is: keep using the gift God gave us to live, His life-giving breath. Job 33:4 The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. Keep breathing through the challenges of life. Keep breathing the rarefied breath of God’s grace.
The breath of life began with God and was imparted to man at creation. Gen. 2:7 Then the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person. A transfer of eternal life came from that first breath and, according to the Lord’s reasoning, should make it obvious that there is a God who gives life. Here is irony at work. When the atheists declare there is no God, they breathe God’s gift of eternal breath while saying it. At an average of 23,000 breaths that we take each day, the miracle of breathing becomes an amazing feat. This works out to approximately 8 million breaths per year. At my age, I have participated in 584,000,000 breaths so far. Talk about the faithfulness of God at work within our existence.
Samson used his last breath to finish his life as a judge of Israel and to execute judgment upon the Philistines. Judg. 16:30 Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus, he killed many more when he died than while he lived. What are we saving our breath for? Hopefully, as our years fold over our memories, we will still be giving glory and honour to God with the breath of our old age. Job 27:3 For as long as life is in me, and the breath of God is in my nostrils, 4 my lips will not speak unjustly, and my tongue will not utter deceit. What will we have accomplished by the time our last breath is expelled?
We are living in a world that is on life support, and no one seems to be breathing easy. The ones who have everything are concerned about losing it all and have no time to breathe. The ones who have nothing are curling up and giving up. People talk about coping, living pay cheque to pay cheque, and trying to make ends meet while gasping for a moment of air. The world system needs people suffocating under their system of false freedom while constantly buying stuff to feel good. Jesus has the cure for these worldly ailments. John 20:21 Again, Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
Yes, let us receive the assurance and rest that the Holy Spirit brings to our lives. By grace we are saved and given a place in the kingdom of God. No striving, no ritual sacrifices, so that we are accepted in God’s presence. The work has been done through God the Son, and we can breathe easier than gasping for air in the world system. As Glennis’ grandfather said, we can “Keep breathing” and develop a relationship with God the Father without the world’s constant fear of condemnation. Rom. 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
We need to keep breathing within the calling, vision, and hope that God has freely given us. If we are going to run the race of life, we will need the Lord’s breath that is eternal and forthright. Heb. 12:1b Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. The race of life is not who gets there first; it is getting to the Lord’s finish line in His strength. May we all meet at that finish line and give God the glory for helping us cross it.
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