Having recovered from my rather recent bout of pneumonia, I am supposed to do a few breathing exercises using this little plastic device.  Three times daily I was told!!  It’s a bother.  I might squeeze in twice!

Have you even been to the ICU unit in the hospital?  Perhaps it was a parent, child or even a dear friend who suffered a major heart attack or some other physical trauma.  There are beepers, buzzers, and the rhythmic pumping of machines.  Somehow these machines help to keep someone alive.  Every heart attack patient has experienced the trauma of fighting for their very next breath.

                                      Breath is precious.  

In everyday life, we don’t think about breathing.  It is one of the involuntary attributes that God gives us.  We take breathing for granted.  That is, until our very next breath becomes a matter of life or death.

In Kings chapter two, we read about Hezekiah, King of Judah.  We know that he was “sick unto death”.  We aren’t told whether he was fighting for his next breath, but we are told he begged God for a few more years of life.  He was granted his wish.  He was allowed to live another 15 years.

Scripture tells us that God formed man and “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul.”  (Genesis 2:7) 

When Jesus appeared to His disciples after the resurrection, “He breathed on them saying “receive the Holy spirit” (John 20:22)

These passages tell us that God is the life giver and that all life comes form Him.  Both physical and spiritual.  We live because He breathed the sacred breath of life into us.  No, we weren’t formed from some ancient slime a million years ago.

When we analyze the wonders of our bodies and how they are given to us for life in this world, we cannot help but to be amazed at the uniqueness of God’s creative powers.  We try to take care of our bodies and worry when they don’t function as we think they ought. 

Both the recovering ICU patient and King Hezekiah shared the privilege of another breath, and another opportunity to serve the Creator.

  But we don’t need to wait for a critical illness or catastrophic event to appreciate life.  Instead, we can look around us and observe God’s unique creation.  As we slowly inhale, and exhale let us be grateful for God’s gift of life.

We can be grateful knowing that every breath is precious because it represents the blessing of another moment. 

                         It is evidence of the gift of life from the Creator of Life.

                                                    Breathe Deeply!