On Easter, I spoke about the new kind of alive that God intends for us. His breath of life transforms us inside and out - first as humans then, in Messiah Jesus, as new humans.


It all starts with 'nefesh' and 'neshima' - both Hebrew words about physical breathing and God's divine presence in our lives. These words are found in Genesis 1:30 and 2:7. As one rabbi wrote recently, "It is not accidental that breath is associated both with human respiration and the Divine presence." He continues, "...the very act of breathing inherently connects us to God."

Since we breathe over 22,000 times a day so, we are all well aware of how crucial this process is to our lives right? Yet could we consider this process also a powerful connection to the Lord too?

There is a breathing prayer I use daily which is the very ancient orthodox "Jesus Prayer" which goes like this:

Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of God,
have mercy on me,
a sinner.

Breathing sustains our lives and prayer sustains our souls - both are interconnected and vital so, may we pray and breathe and breathe and pray today!

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