“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit.”
John 20:21-22 (NAB)
The breath of God was breathed into Adam’s nostrils and he came to life. The resurrected Jesus breathed on his disciples and they were filled with boldness and empowered with love to spread the truth of the gospel.
Whenever the breath of God breathes upon people, He brings them new life and equips them with whatever was lacking.
With so much to do and think about some days, it’s easy to forget that God’s Spirit is available to equip us and enliven us in all that we are lacking. What makes Christianity unique is that God comes to man. We aren’t expected to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. We call on the name of the Lord and He comes to save us, but sometimes we simply neglect to call on Him.
Yesterday, I had one of those days. I had appointments to schedule, phone calls to make, multiple obligations to meet, and by the end of the day, I felt more breathless than breathed upon.
I felt drained after going back and forth all day, forgetting to ask for His help before each phone call or errand. Later that day, I felt kind of down and breathless. I knew then, that I needed His Spirit to breathe on me.
Everyone has their own way of praying when they feel like this. I ask the Holy Spirit directly, to fill me with more of Him. Paul understood that our inner being needs the breath of the Spirit, when he said,
“I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being.” (Ephesians 3:16)
The Spirit works deep within us, and helps our weaknesses, when we don’t even know how to pray. We only need to ask Him to come inside. His intercession goes beyond words, and His breath revitalizes us when we ask. (Romans 8:26)
The divine breath of the Lord renews, strengthens, empowers and revitalizes our innermost being. It sounds like a song, but it’s also a prayer when we ask, Come Holy Spirit and strengthen me within. If we ask, He will show us how He is breathing on us today.
Holy Spirit, breathe new life into every reader and their loved ones today. Fill us with your holy breath that strengthens, revitalizes and equips us to go throughout this day in perfect peace. Amen