BREATH OF LIFE

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground,

and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,

and man became a living being ...

Genesis 2:7

What is life? It is a breath. A Divine breath, kept not to itself, but passed into lifelessness, and upon its wings living begins.

Paul tells us in Colossians that Jesus holds all things together. That includes maintaining the very breath of God within me, giving me life, moment by moment … heartbeat by heartbeat.

Can I capture that picture … even for a instant? God breathing into me. Talk about life-giving CPR. There is nothing like it.

Notice, God didn’t simply blow onto the man fashioned by His own hand, onto his outward form. No. He breathed into a space specially designed to hold that essence of Himself. Tented in clay though it may have been, it still was an inward work, even from the very beginning.

God formed man, like a potter forms a vessel, by squeezed His creation into His desired shape. I love this concept. God could have chosen simply to speak man into existence, as He did the rest of creation. But God’s desire for relationship becomes visible even here. That desire to touch, to be part of, to invest Himself into the product of His love. Not a single hint at indifference can be seen in man’s creation; rather it reveals an ongoing effort, denoting a plan, a desired destination for Himself and His creation.

Beauty resides in the continuing truth that nothing has changed. He who is the same yesterday, today and forever, doesn’t simply speak things into my life. He continues to invest Himself into my life … touching … molding … pruning … holding … encouraging … breathing His life into me daily … whatever it takes to maintain relationship. His mercies and compassion towards me, towards His creation, are still new every morning.