Breathe in, ......breathe out....... Breathe in, ......breathe out....... Breathe in, ......breathe out...... We all take over 23,000 breaths a day, depending on how much exercise we participate in. That's around 8.5 million breaths a year and yet we don't often give it much thought!
As your mother was coached to control her breathing in order to manage the pains of labour, she was finally rewarded with the most incredible sound —your cry as you took your first breath!
"The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life."
Job 33:4 NIV
This breath was the most profound of your life —triggering changes in the function of the heart. Your lungs, which were originally filled with fluid, suddenly filled with oxygen from the air! The fluid in the lungs was removed through the blood and lymphatic system. What a wonderfully perfect design! Your first few breaths may have been shallow and irregular but with each breath, more air accumulated in your lungs, making it easier for you to breathe.
God gave you life. God gave you breath. In receiving one, you had the other. With each breath you have taken since that day, God has been with you, whispering 'I love you'. From your first breath to your last, He is sustaining you and meeting your every need, until you finally rest in His arms.
"This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.' ""
Ezekiel 37:5-6 NIV
This incredible rhythm of life, the simple act of inhalation, also has amazing healing qualities, triggering a relaxation response in the body as it drives oxygen to the brain, stimulating the vagus nerve to release neurotransmitters, increasing a wonderful calmness which decreases anxiety. Concentrating on our breathing, lowers heart rate and blood pressure and alters the expression of genes to improve immune function and the body's response to stress.
Somehow, we intuitively know that taking deep, slow breaths can help in a crisis situation. When we are met with someone who is injured or upset, our first response is usually, 'Stay calm.... just breathe!" And breathing helps! It takes us back to the very basis of our life and the One who sustains it!
Near the base of your brain is a vital part for your breathing —the respiratory centre. It collects information and makes decisions based on that information, deciding how you should breathe, whether slow and even, shallow and quick or forceful and deep. It then delivers instructions using nerves along the spine to the muscles that control your breathing —the diaphragm and the intercostal muscles. They contract so you can inhale, creating more space for your lungs which means more volume, but less pressure. It's just incredible that as your lung pressure decreases, outside air just rushes in! Alveoli expand and take in oxygen which crosses to the blood vessels and is delivered to all your cells.
As your respiratory muscles relax, you start to exhale, allowing carbon dioxide to leave your body. So basically we breathe in and we get what we need. We breathe out and we let go of what we don't need. Most of the time we don't think about this process but it's good to take time to focus on it and give thanks to God for His awesome invention!
Job often thought about the precarious nature of life and realised the centrality of God to all life:
"If it were his intention and he withdrew his spirit and breath, all humanity would perish together and mankind would return to the dust."
Job 34:14-15 NIV
Challenge: Take time to focus on your breathing today, even if it's just for a couple of minutes. Be aware of what is happening as you inhale and exhale. In tense situations, remember to consciously slow down your breathing to allow God's breath in you to reduce anxiety. If it helps to count in order to slow down, go ahead breathe in, 2,3,4 ....hold 2,3,4,5,6,7.... exhale 2,3,4,5,6,7,8. This is very handy to remember when you are struggling to go off to sleep too! It brings a great calmness and impacts your overall health!
Ponder: What kind of air are you breathing in? Why does clean air in a forest or by the sea seem to make you feel so relaxed? Perhaps you need to plan some time out in special places like these.
Pray:
Heavenly Father,
Thank You so much for the marvellous way You have made me! Thank You for my first breath and every single one since then. You are my Sustainer and You alone give me life! I praise You for the incredible way that the simple act of breathing brings calmness to my body. You have made me with everything I need to enjoy life to the full. Today as I breathe in, I continue to take in and enjoy every blessing You have for me, Your goodness, mercy, grace, peace and joy. I exhale and as I do, I let go of all the cares, worries, stresses and thoughts I should not dwell on.
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Fill me with life anew,
That I may love what Thou dost love,
And do what Thou wouldst do.
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Until my heart is pure,
Until with Thee I will one will,
To do and to endure.
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Till I am wholly Thine,
Until this earthly part of me
Glows with Thy fire divine.
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
So shall I never die,
But live with Thee the perfect life
Of Thine eternity.
(Edwin Hatch 1878)
In Jesus' Name,
Amen.
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Health & Wholeness - A Christian Devotional
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