Breathe

A few nights ago I woke up to the sound of my husband's breathing. The room was still and quiet. All I could hear was his breathing. . . rhythmic, unencumbered, effortless, constant. I lay in the dark taking in the quiet, soothing sounds of his inhaling and exhaling. Before long his breathing lulled me back to sleep.

A few hours later I woke to the sound of the silence-breaking tone of my alarm. I crawled out of bed and stepped into the freshness of a new day dawning. I slipped on my white fuzzy house shoes and tried my best to walk quietly toward the smell of freshly brewed coffee. I could hear every sound my rubber soled shoes made on the wooden floor and hoped that it didn't wake my still-breathing sleeping husband.

Settling down into my "coffee with Jesus" chair, coffee cup in hand, I laid my head back on the chair cushion and breathed in His presence. Then it dawned on me that the Breath of Heaven, the Breath of God, the Holy Spirit had been there all night watching over our breathing. He never sleeps or slumbers, but constantly, rhythmically, unencumbered, effortlessly He watches, works, guards, protects us through the nights of our lives. It is in the nights, the dark quiet times of our lives, when we sense His breath softly flowing over us.

But day comes, the traffic sounds overpower the sleeping's restful breathing. The traffic of our lives takes over and before you know it His breath, His voice is drowned out with the rushing, the honking, the stopping and starting of our "map-quested day." Yet, He constantly, effortlessly, rhythmically works on our behalf, navigating for us, quietly whispering his lessons in our noise polluted ears.

In Isaiah 48: 17-18 the Lord says, "if only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would be like a river and your righteousness like the waves of the sea." Lord, help me to be still enough, quiet enough to hear your breathing. . . whispers of love, instruction, warning, wisdom and vision. Flood my mind, heart, and soul with the sounds of your river of peace and your waves of righteousness. Breath of God breathe on me; lulling me back into the rest of God once again.