Breath Prayer

Jesus said to the disciples, “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”  -John 20:21-22

The Breath of God – God’s Spirit Around and Within Us

The Spirit of God (Ruach) has made me, and the breath of the Almighty (N’shamah) gives me life. -Job 33:4

Throughout the Old Testament, the Hebrew word ruach and its related forms are translated in a variety of ways such as to breathe (see Genesis 8:21, for example), air for breathing (Judges 15:19), to smell (Job 39:25), a cool breeze (Genesis 3:8), a blast of Divine breath (Isaiah 40:7), the Breath of Life (Genesis 2:7), and the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:2). Its New Testament Greek equivalent is pneuma, which appears multiple times in the Gospels and elsewhere. It can be rendered Divine inspiration (2 Timothy 3:16) and Divine exhalation, such as in the poetic description Jesus gives to Nicodemus in John 3:8.

“The wind (pneuma) blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit (Pneuma).”

The Inspiration of Respiration

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Hallelujah! -Psalm 150:6

My good friend Harold has a debilitating physical disease that requires he use a respirator to ensure he receives sufficient oxygen to sustain his life. Though he needs help with respiration, he is nevertheless an inspiration to those that know him. His life is one of praise in suffering amid the constant background noise of his respirator, the source of his next breath. We too rhythmically (but unconsciously) respire thousands of times and hour. Respiration is a reminder of Ruach and Pneuma, the Divine Spirit around and within us. Every breath is a gift.

Breath Prayer

Our minds are often so active or agitated about worldly concerns that it is difficult to focus on heavenly things. Why don’t we stop right now, deeply inhale and pray, “Thank you God,” then exhale and pray, “for the air I breathe.” This is the premise behind the ancient practice of Breath Prayer.

The classic Breath Prayer is called the Jesus Prayer. In a way, we are breathing in Jesus, and breathing out anxiety. It brings a moment of focus and peace in the midst of the worries of everyday life. It is a way to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), a momentary recognition of the presence of God.

The Jesus Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, (inhale)

Son of God, (exhale)

Have mercy on me, (inhale)

A sinner. (exhale)

Or even more simply, “Je-” (inhale) “-sus” (exhale).