That's Just (Not So) Weird

I will praise the Eternal for as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God as long as breath fills my lungs and blood flows through my veins. (Psalm 146:2, Voice)

What happens when you do just what the psalmist suggests? You know, when you don't just read along and nod but actually inhale to full capacity, and then exhale? Wait, that's just weird...except it's not. After all, the medical community seems to be in agreement that taking deep breaths and exhaling is a stress reliever, lowers blood pressure, helps you sleep better at night, and helps rid the lungs of toxins. In other words, it brings life.

The reason this exercise is so healthy is because of the One and Only who holds the patent on it.

In the perfectly beautiful garden that was Eden, God initiated His intent for intimate relationship with us by doing this:

"The LORD God formed the 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)

When we worship, when we speak forth the life of the Word, and when we dare to do what the Word says and actually inhale as deeply as we can, we aren't just exhaling stress and unhealthy stuff but powerfully refueling our bodies, minds, and souls with the reminder that the life-giving presence of God inside us is still as supercharged and effective at this very moment as it was in Eden.

The entirety of Psalm 146 is a rock-solid reminder of all of that. What God has always done, God will always do, even right now for that point of (desperate) prayer: God defends, God feeds, God frees, God gives sight, God lifts up, God loves, God protects. 

Breathe it all in: He may be the Ancient of Days, but God is never out of fashion and always in His prime. He is not a passive spectator to the ups and downs of our lives but is an active participant even when we don't see, feel, or sense it, giving strength and help in our time (our moment!) of need...and so much more than all of that, even.

His breath of life has no "sell by" date, and it knows no bounds for those who put their trust in Him and the Son He sent to rescue us. It's almost too much to take it all in, but staring down the idea of silliness and inhaling that occasional deep breath while worshiping can do one more thing: It can help remind us that something and Someone so incredibly good needs to be shared and not hogged...

Exhale...in continual thanks to the One who gave it all for us, and by worshiping with feet on as we go, wherever that may be...

We have nothing to give

That didn't first come from Your hands
We have nothing to offer You
Which You did not provide
Every good, perfect gift comes from
Your kind and gracious heart
And all we do is give back to You
What always has been Yours
Lord, we're breathing the breath
That You gave us to breathe
To worship You, to worship You...

(Breathing the Breath, Matt & Beth Redman)

 

 

[photo: purefitstudios.com]