The Life Giving Breath of God: Part 1

Breathe Deeply & Live
 

The breath of God, which is the Holy Spirit, is God’s Creative power & all things were made by it. At our core, each one of us is infused with the very breath, the very Spirit of God. Breathing is the physical means to maintain life & the spiritual means to connect with the Source of all life which is our Creator God. In biblical Hebrew & Greek, the words: breath, wind & spirit are synonymous & all reflect God’s identity. Therefore, the word “God” is our first word & our last word as we enter & leave this world. It is God, in who’s hand is the soul of every living thing & the breath of all humankind. There is no life without breath.

Through His Holy Spirit, the wind blows as God breathes His life-giving breath into us & around us & gives us life whether we are in a season of beauty or of suffering. And so, we read in the prophet Ezekiel’s story, God proclaimed through the prophet that by His unconditional love & grace given to all people He would breathe His very life-giving breath into the very soul of the broken people & that they would live once again, & beauty would return – hope filled words from our God for sure. As He spoke to the people then, He speaks to us now & to people through all the ages, saying that piece by piece, step by step, He would then & will now, rebuild all broken suffering people, including us & breathe life back into everyone who is suffering.

The prophet reminds us that there are two visions or views in our world, often competing with each other to grab our attention & direct our lives. One sees death & the other sees life. One sees hopelessness & the other sees hope. One sees brokenness & the other sees healing & wholeness. One sees life’s circumstances through our limited human vision & the other sees life through God’s eyes. When you see life through God’s eyes everything changes & even in times of suffering, as you take in the very breath of God, your dead bones will come to life & the beauty of life will return as you come alive in the Spirit of God.

We invite you to take a look at your life today. Do you feel a little dried up, without hope, lost & cut off? That is the way it may seem through our eyes. But then my friends, we invite you to take in a deep breath—the very breath of God—& take another look, this time through God’s eyes. What do you think? Can your dried-up bones live? Is there hope for new life, in this world or beyond? For humans it may seem impossible. But we all know don’t we, that all things are possible through God. Can these broken bones we have live? With God, the answer is always, YES!!! AMEN

~Posted by Rev Kathryn Bindig, MDiv. MS; Pastoral Care Minister with assistance from Rich Muscatello; Director of Business Development & Strategy