Breathe - God in Us

Yesterday morning in the second hour after the church service, we watched a Nooma video which has really stuck with me.

The movie mentioned that Yahweh, the name of the Lord, was considered by some too holy to even speak. And some believe that as it is written in the original text, they are a series of 'breathing sounds', unpronounceable. The movie questioned whether it is possible that the name of the Lord is the very sound of a breath, life-giving. It asked, "Is it possible that the first thing when we do when we are born is utter the name of the Lord, in that breathe? And the last thing we do before we die?"

The name of the Lord as a breathe really does bring to mind the presence of God in and among us, a theme that is present throughout scripture, although not always so present in our mind.

"Do you know your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own..." (1 Corinthians 6:19)

"To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Colossians 1:27)

If we dare to believe and understand and fully recognize God as in each of us, how would that make us different? How would we act differently if we understood God as residing in each and every breathe, the very life that keeps us living?

This morning my devotional suggested that we may "pause before responding to people or situations, giving God's spirit space to act through you. Hasty words and actions leave no room for God... who wishes to inhabit all our moments."

That seems quite fitting to me, and an appropriate and important reminder in today's quick-paced society. We often feel that we need to speak, respond, walk, move, get done that to-do list as quickly as possible. But in rushing so much, we forget the presence of the Lord within us and within our every breathe. God wishes to give us abundant, full, complete life. But we sidestep that possibility when we do not leave room for Him.

Perhaps being mindful of our breathe as the breathing sounds that embody the Lord's name... YHWH... (yah, hey, vah, hey)... may be a way to bring ourselves back to recognizing God in us, inviting Him once again to lead, to inhabit all our moments.