Breath of Life

Job 33:4: “The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”

Often I have wondered why Jesus breathed on the disciples to impart the Holy Spirit to them (John 20:22). The answer should’ve been obvious, but it took a funeral to help me figure it out.

This past Friday I attended the funeral of a dear friend’s husband and was struck anew how the deceased always looks unnatural. The spark of life with which God imbues each of us is gone and the person looks like a wax statue version of himself. Viewing the body reminds me that until God breathed into Adam, he was mere dust formed together in the shape of a man. And Paul tells us we are all dead in our trespasses until the Holy Spirit breathed life into us (Eph. 2:1-10).

So finally, this weekend, I connected the dots. Just as a body without breath is dead, a spirit without the Breath of the Holy Spirit is also dead. Jesus breathed the breath of spiritual life into His disciples to make their spirits come alive. And so it is with the Ruach Hakodesh, the Holy Spirit, who gives new life to all who trust in Jesus as Savior.

Huddle Up

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Eph. 6:18

I was never good at sports and I can’t stand football. Nevertheless, I am part of a team: we call ourselves “the warriors.” As part of this team, I recognize the importance of the huddle. It’s within the sacred shelter of the huddle that players receive encouragement, direction, and chastisement.

We have a playbook with rules and guidelines, but often our Coach has to call an audible and we’ve been known to lob more than a few “hail Mary” passes. Whenever life gets tough, I call and email the best players on the team asking for wisdom and prayer. Whenever I experience joy or a breakthrough in a situation, I go to them to tell of what God has done.

He uses my teammates to encourage me and support me and yes, sometimes to even chastise me. I think together we make a good team and I am so grateful to have such a group of prayer warriors in my life.