I’m so grateful, Lord, that You know right where to come to me. You know what I need, and You are always enough.
John 20:22, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
It’s natural to do things the way we have seen them done even if we don’t know or understand the reasons behind them. Even Jesus did things the way His Father did them. But unlike us, He did them knowing full well the reason behind them all: to give us eternal life.
Consider the breath of God. Scripture begins, “in the beginning,” with God creating all things (Genesis 1:1). He created man from the dust of the ground, and that is all we were – dust. We were dry and frail until God breathed life into us (Genesis 2:7). Not until God’s breath entered our lungs did we become fully alive. We were handmade but we were breathed into existence. We see the power of God’s breath again in the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37:4-5). In that valley the breath of God brought those dry bones back to life. It was the garden of Eden all over again. New breath. New life. And remember, Jesus was with God from the beginning: He saw all that His Father did.
Now, after Jesus’ death, His disciples must have felt incredibly weary and worn. Their spirits were no doubt dry, and their faith more than a little frail. It was the perfect time for Jesus the Son to do exactly what He had seen God the Father do. And so Jesus did.
Do you ever feel as though the trials and struggles of life have sucked the breath right out of you? Do you find yourself feeling a little dry? Do you long to feel fully alive again? No vitamin regimen or diet plan can bring bones back to life. No commitment to become more organized can breathe life back into your world.
Only God has the life-restoring, spirit-refreshing, body energizing kind of breath you need. And it’s found in His Word. Take the time to open the pages of Scripture and allow God to breathe life back into you. It’s what He has done from the very beginning.
