Yesterday we discussed the reality that God is doing more than we could ask or think and if we just paused to trust His generosity we might just have a change in perspective. "Breath Prayer" is an amazing way to slow down the clock and saturate ourselves in the generosity of God.
Stop and breathe
Breath prayer is an ancient Christian practice of uttering as prayers simple and repeatable phrases that can be said in one breath. The Bible tells us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), which means that prayer shouldn’t be confined to just certain times of the day, such as at meals or bedtime. Breath prayer lets us pray while we are doing other things. When I’m busy or I feel stressed, anxious, afraid, or even bored, I pray a breath prayer. This focuses me, calms my heart, and reminds me that God is ever-present in the chaos of my day.
Breathing God’s Word
As the name breath prayer implies, we pray as we breathe. What you will typically want to do is to "Breathe In" a truth that comes from scripture that your soul needs to hear in this particular season of life. Then you will want to "Breathe Out" a feeling or a lie from the enemy that separates you from the truths of God. The feeling of lie can be anything that most personifies a hurt or a struggle you are currently in. Ex. Breathe out... "my circumstance is to difficult for me"...Breathe in" I can do all things through Christ"
Here are some examples of breath prayers from Scripture that you can "Breathe In":
“Lord, have mercy” (Matthew 15:22)
“Peace, be still” (Mark 4:39)
“God, here I am” (Isaiah 6:8)
“Father, your will be done” (Matthew 6:10)
“Holy Spirit, speak; I am listening” (John 16:13)
“Know that the Lord is God” (Psalm 100:3)
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
“Alleluia, Amen” (Revelation 19:4)
This practice can be exercised in a countless number of ways but I find that sitting still and setting a timer for a few minutes just to breathe through a prayer can be helpful, with each breath in something God needs me to hear and each breath out something He needs me to let go of. Can you think of any other short, repeatable phrases from Scripture that you can pray in one breath? Try it.
Take a moment to breathe
I experienced the value of breath prayer once while backpacking with Rocky. The path was steep and strenuous and an exhausted Rocky kept asking to turn back. But I pushed us to keep going—toward the promise of a beautiful view at the top of the trail. With each breath I prayed, “Beautiful creator God.” Finally reaching the top, we enjoyed the stillness at the top of the trail. Our fatigue forgotten, we marveled at the handiwork of our beautiful creator God!
As you climb through your strenuous day, use breath prayer to remember what you are pursuing: our beautiful creator God who always keeps his promises and is always more generous than we could ask or think. Take a moment and cheerfully give each breath as you “pray without ceasing.”
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