For the Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. – Job 33:4 NLT
She leaned over the sink full of dishes, took a deep breath, sighed, and whispered, “Lord have mercy.” At that time, that was all she could let out. The feelings of fear, anger, worry, relief, and peace marched across her heart in that order. How were they going to get through this? She could not find the words. As she slowed down and let herself breathe, she felt the peace of God come over her. She wanted to pray, but all she could do was breathe.
So often, we want to release the things that bother us to God in prayer and invite Him into the situation, but the words aren’t there. How can we pray if we don’t know what to say?
God is not looking for us to have eloquent speeches and well-crafted poems when we pray. He wants us to use our breath to invite His presence into our lives. Sometimes there are no words to express what we feel.
Romans 8:26 says, “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.” As Christians, the Holy Spirit lives in us and helps us pray. He can pray for us by using the breath of God that lives in us.
The Breath Prayer is a simple way to pray. It was used by the early leaders of the church. This type of prayer has changed over time into a way to use simple phrases and breathing techniques together. You can start doing Breath Prayer by simply saying the name of Jesus as you breathe in and out.
Every breath is an opportunity for God to help. What a powerful thought that just breathing can bring me into a holy moment with God.
One of my favorite song lyrics captures this truth: “Sometimes you’re in the desert, Sometimes you feel the pain. Sometimes He calms a storm, and sometimes He lets it rain. Please don’t hold your breath. Just breathe. It’s a miracle; we can breathe. There’s power in the way that we breathe. Release your heavy burdens. And let everything that has breath praise the Lord. This is why we have breath, praise the Lord.” – Chandler Moore
Dig Deeper
1. Take time to develop your own breath prayer. How can you integrate this practice of Breath Prayer into your daily life? Think of two times during the day you can simply contemplate the presence of God and invite Him into the moment by slowing down and taking a few deep breaths.
2. Another way to practice Breath Prayer is to choose a phrase or verse of Scripture, use the inhaled breath to consider the verse and think on it, and use the exhaled breath to speak the verse out loud. Continue praying this way until you have quieted your heart and mind. You can focus on God’s presence as you recite the Scripture.
