Breathe Deep

Did you ever think about how much you need air?
That is not a silly question.
We take for granted the very thing that, if it was taken away from us, we would die.

We normally breathe about 8-14 breaths per minute.
There are 1,440 minutes in a day.
If we averaged about 12 breaths a minute, we breathe about 17, 280 times a day.

And we don’t think about it.

We assume the breath will be there when we need it.
We assume so, until we climb a steep hill, or run a race, or swim some laps.
Then we are aware of the necessity of air.

For people with lung disorders, every breath is precious.
For people without lung disorders, every breath is precious.
We assume the air will always be there when we need it.

I remember when my oldest daughter was a toddler.
She came to our bedroom door one night and knocked with urgency.
I opened the door and heard seal-like barking coming from her mouth.

Here I was, a relatively new mother.
All I had to go on was the instinct that God gave me.
In an instant, I knew that she had the croup and I sprung into action.

It was winter.
I grabbed an extra blanket and wrapped her up in it.
I swooped her into my arms and rushed downstairs.

I opened the back door and stood in the cold night air with her in my arms.
Breathe, honey; Take deep breaths, as the cold air filled her lungs.
I breathed with her; breath for breath.

Suddenly, her breathing returned to normal.
The seal-like bark quieted.
She fell asleep on my shoulder.

I came inside and closed the door.
I carried her back up to bed.
I prayed and thanked God for the discernment He gave me.

She needed air.
Cold, crisp air to open up those passageways that were blocked.

Croup has happened with some of my other children when they were young.
If it was summer, we went into the bathroom and turned on the shower.
I ran the water as hot as it could possibly be, as the room filled with steam.

Anything to open up the passageways to make their breathing easier.
Blocked airways can be deadly.

And we take air for granted.

Isn’t it appropriate that the Holy Spirit is compared to air, to wind, to a breath?

Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth; no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (John 3:5-8)

I didn’t know which way the wind was coming on that cold night so many years ago.
I just knew that the cold air surrounded us and helped my little girl to breathe.
So it is with the Holy Spirit.

We need the Holy Spirit like we need air!

Without the Holy Spirit, we would not have the faith to believe.
Without the Holy Spirit, we would not understand God’s Word.
Without the Holy Spirit, we would want no part of God.

Without the Holy Spirit, we can’t breath deep the life that is life.
Our spiritual airways are obstructed.
We breathe the shallow breath of this world instead of the Spirit’s deep cleansing breath.

We need the Holy Spirit like we need air.
We need to be part of a church body like we need air.
We need to breathe deep the wind of the Spirit in unobstructed spiritual airways.

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:1-4)

The wind of the Holy Spirit blew.

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were being done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47)

The birth of the church began with the wind of the Holy Spirit.
The church is sustained by the wind of the Holy Spirit.
We are saved when the wind of the Holy Spirit blows into our heart and makes us alive.

We need the Holy Spirit like we need air.
We need to be part of a local church body like we need air.
Our spiritual passageways are blocked and we wonder why.

Open the airways.
The wind of the Spirit is blowing through.
Breathe deep and LIVE!