Jesus is the source & sustainer of life.  

When He, the Creator, breathed life into Adam (Gen 2:7) it was not only the beginning of humanity but also a foreshadowing of the divine plan He had prepared for His children.

In John 20:22 …He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit”… This sacred breath that gave Adam physical life also breathes into us new spiritual life, sustaining us moment by moment. Every breath we take physically can be a reminder of His constant presence and the eternal life indwelling in us.

Whether we feel His presence or not…whether we feel fully alive or feel lifeless… Christ is sustaining us, always! His Spirit within us is a constant blessed assurance that we are alive in Him – not just now, but for.ever. He holds our faith together, unshaken and eternal!

He doesn’t want us to worry about how many breaths we will take on this earth. He knows exactly every breath He has for us and has hidden that from us. We are called to trust in the one who has numbered them all. Let each breath we take be a reminder that He is with us and HE IS life itself.

In moments of fear, especially the fear of death, may we be reminded that our final breath on earth is the first in eternity with Him – fully healed, fully at rest, under the shelter of His wings. This hope of glory anchors our souls and allows us to have peace in the present moment.

We can’t see Him face to face yet….but His children can be still and know that His breath is in us. Eternal life starts the moment we are born again… as His life sustains us daily, empowering us with all the strength, love, and peace we need to take the next step in the mission He has placed before us.

Just like He doesn’t give us all the air we need for the rest of our life at any given moment. He only gives what we need (peace, joy, strength, wisdom) spiritually a moment at a time. So we can just keep our focus on the right-now. We do not have to be anxious about what we envision may or may not be ahead. That *will* lead to anxiety because it’s true that we do not have right now all that we need for what’s ahead. Don’t try to grasp for what lies ahead without the grace that will meet you there. And don’t be fooled – we do have all we need for right now. And when the next moments come, we will have enough then, too.

It is profound that almost universally… when somebody is panicking, in trauma, or even just experiencing strong emotions of fear, anger, or heartache…. people surround them and say, “breaaathe”. The fight or flight responses in our body when under duress cause us to have shorter breaths to get more oxygen to the muscles… and it can feel like death… but the reality is, it’s simply a physical reaction designed by the Lord to help us in times of need. And it can also be used as a spiritual gift from Him: when the situations overwhelm and our emotions are out of control and we’re trying to calm ourselves saying “just breathe” – it can become a cue that His Spirit in us desires our attention on Him, the sustainer of our life and ever-present help in time of need (Ps 46). He wants us to remember how close He is… SO close that it’s His breath that created us physically and His breath that gave us NEW Life and power.

So fill those lungs, child! Try to take at least one moment each day to reflect on the gift of breath and the miracle it represents. Praise Him for the hard times that sharpen our focus and remind us to “breeeathe” and quickly shift our eyes back to the sustainer of life, the one whose very breath is IN us and keeping us!

Breathe and know that HE is the Almighty Creator and Sustainer of Life and we are His beloved children, kept under His wing!