Ruach: breath, wind, spirit
In Scripture, Moses worked up the courage to ask the Lord, “What is your name?” The Lord responded in original Hebrew ,”YHWH.” Over time vowels were added by man to make it more comfortable to pronounce, giving us the new version of Yahweh. When you say the word Yahweh without the vowels it sounds like breathing. YH ( inhalation) WH (exhalation)
YHWH in breathing
- Y= Yod, which rhymes with rode
- H= He, which rhymes with say
- W or V= sounds like lava
- H= He, which rhymes with say
We all breathe the same word and we are all God’s children, whether we acknowledge Him or not. He loves us equally and it is our choice (free will) to love Him in return. Genesis 2:7 tells us, “Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. From the very beginning, God gave us breath and every breath we are given is our reminder that God is Lord.
“In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.” Job 12:10
When a baby is born it’s first breath and cry is the name of God!
Anytime we sigh, moan or gasp we are calling on the name of God.
When we are sad and overwhelmed with emotion, we cry out to God, through our tears and sobbing breaths.
In moments of quietness, our breath is the loudest. In our sighs of frustration, fatigue and pain, we are calling on His name.
When we are overjoyed and excited, our lungs are filled to capacity, and we breathe out the name of the Lord!
When we are afraid, our tendency is to hold our breath. Let go of your breath and let God’s name be your reminder that He is in you and with you you always. You are never alone!
In challenging and difficult moments, we take deep breaths of courage, and the name of the Lord leads us through those moments.
Every breath we take gives praise to the Father, even in moments we find it hard to breathe.
On the day we leave this earth, and we breathe our last breath, we will say Yahweh as it leaves our lungs.
“There. Is. No. God.”
When an atheist says to me, “There.is.no.God”, what I hear them say is. “Yod.He.Vav.He.” A person can make claims to me that there is no God and that He is not real all day long, but I say you cannot make such claims and be breathing His name while you say that. Unbelievers, breathe the same breaths believers do, all the while speaking YHWH while doing so. The difference between me and an unbeliever is, I have accepted that I am created in God’s image and His son, Jesus Christ, is my savior and died for my sins on the cross. Knowing that I am praising my Lord all day long with every breath I am given fills me with hope, love and assurance that I am not alone in this evil world, and God is with me with every breath I take. How gracious and loving our Father is to give us this reminder.
We deserve nothing from God, yet He gives us so many gifts and reminders of His love, grace and presence. The sacrifice of His son was huge but to give us the gift of the Holy Spirit, our breath as a reminder of Him, along with everyday blessings is overwhelmingly awesome! I see God in everything, every day I am out in nature. We, as humans, keep looking for the miracles and proof of God in big ways. I’m here to tell you that while God does do these things in big ways, more often than not, He does things in simple and unexpected ways.
I believe God is trying to tell us to slow down, pay attention and listen. Something as simple as hearing yourself breathing, or your child or spouses slow and relaxed breathing while sleeping. The assurance that God is here and is working, in that simple reminder of our breath, is often forgotten and drowned out by the noise of the world. Stop, take a pause and listen. Breathe in….YH, and breathe out….WH. He’s right there and He’s saying, “I am God and I am with you.”
Until next time! God bless, breathe slow and feel God’s presence!
Sherry
Chasing birds at dawn 