Student Blog - The Breath of God

As humans, we should all understand that breathing is somewhat important. Our breath is what keeps us alive, being distributed to every living part of our bodies so that we can simply exist. But beyond that, the air is a somewhat all-encompassing in nature, embodying so many different ideas that it’s difficult to name them all. Of course, as an English major, that won’t stop me from naming some. The air moves, acting as the breeze that warms or cools us when it meets our skin, the gust that fills our sails, and the wind that uproots even the oldest trees. For one thing, the air, to have so many different aspects yet still serve such a fundamental role in our lives is remarkable and beautiful, a fantastic demonstration of the beauty of the natural world.

The sun is the same way, giving us light so that we can see our path but starting fires because of its intensity. Water sooths our parched mouths but also rises up into unconquerable waves, battering our ships until they eventually yield and fall into destruction, and the rocks act as building material for our homes while also blocking our paths.

 So many things in our lives seem to serve two contrary purposes, both helping and hurting us, but is it possible that we get preoccupied with that and miss all of the blessings? The natural world is a beautiful and seemingly untamable thing, and we have to keep in mind that everything, from the vast oceans to the smallest grains of sand, was made by God. We also have to keep in mind that we each are included in that set and that we are the hand-made creations of the living God, who stands unique amongst the untamable truths of the world in that, as is stated in The Chronicles of Narnia, while he may not be tame, he is good.

“Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” Genesis 2:7 NASB

 The same God that created the Heavens and the Earth, who created the air and the sun and the water and the stones, breathed his breath of life into our lungs. That image is intensely tangible, so sensory in nature that we can almost feel it. Breathe in deeply and hold the air in your lungs, and imagine if that air, which we need to survive, was divinely breathed, sweeter than any honey and more filling than any feast. And now, with that in mind, remember that that is exactly what we have, given to us at the moment of our creation! What a wonderful thought.

 My prayer for all of you this week is that as you go, you do so fueled by the breath of God, knowing that he is the wind in our sails, the breeze that keeps us cool, and the sustaining air of life.


-Zac Langer