A Reminder to Breathe
Your Nightly Prayer for Dec. 9, 2024
by Meg Bucher
TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE
“The Lord merely spoke,and the heavens were created. He breathed the word and all the stars were born.” – Psalm 33:6 NLT
SOMETHING TO PONDER
This verse echoed in my mind as I entered the big beige tube. “Breathe …just breathe,” I told myself. Christmas music played through the headphones the nurse had given me, but I could still hear the clunking and whirring of the MRI. A few weeks ago, I breathed easily as I ran through the park. The leaves were showing off in the peak of fall, and the air was crisp but not yet bone-chilling. I felt the embrace of Psalm 33:6 as nature breathed around me and moved with me.
Running is my favorite. Some days, my legs felt wonderful, but I could never quite catch my breath. Others, I hunched over and almost looked right back at my breakfast after I reached the end of my route. But that day, I was breathing easy. I had battled back from injury and reclaimed my favorite pastime. I looked like myself again. I felt like myself again. I loved that time to worship the Lord, listening to my worship playlist and thanking Him for every stride …every mile. He breathed, and all of the stars were born. That’s phenomenal and unimaginable. Yet, He knows me. Every breath and each stride. I am known.
If only we knew when the wind would get knocked back out of us.
This day, the clunking and whirring were investigating the cause of a pain that had kicked me right back off the road. Typically, I remained in denial for weeks, fighting to maintain my fitness through the pain. Holding onto my running shoes with a tight, unrealistic grip.
Now, I was breathing deeply, praying for healing, and hoping for the best.
I’ll have to start all over …again. It will take a long time to get back to my morning stride through the local park with my Savior at my side.
It’s tempting to feel sorry for myself, but I realize by this time in my life that I don’t have to lace up my running shoes to stride through my day with Jesus. He’s been with me for every step of the journey. He breathed, and the heavens were created. He spoke, and all the stars were born. The Psalm allows us to get lost in who God is and revel in all He’s done for us.
Breathe …just breathe …
Tides change. Seasons come and go. Things break. Bodies break down. But one thing never changes. The breath of God. The breath that created everything we know and see. All the stars …and each of us. It’s a comfort and encouragement when things are amazing and when things are hard and painful.
YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER
Father,
Hurting is hard. When we are discouraged by a setback, it’s easy to feel sorry for ourselves. Disrupted routines agitate us, and painful injuries are a constant reminder of what’s not going our way at the moment. Give us the strength we need to recover, God. Bless us with patience, perseverance, and comfort. Remind us to breathe and remember You, who created the heavens and all the stars, are with us always.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON
1. Take a moment to let the words of today’s Scripture marinate in your mind and settle into your bones. Let all of the hopelessness fade from your mind as you focus on the God of the Universe and His connection to and love for you. “Father, You merely spoke, and the heavens were created. You breathed the word, and all the stars were born.”
2. Picture the first star that pierces through the sky. Before it’s completely dark, the stars start to appear. Imagine them appearing, little by little, until the sky is lit with countless stars against a pitch-dark sky. The sky is so large you start to feel small. As small as one star, far off in the distance, almost being swallowed by other stars around it. That star has a name. God named that star. When you feel small like your struggle is about to swallow you, choose to find comfort in the stars; as a reminder, you mean infinitely more to God who created you.
3. Pay attention to your breath for a minute. Breathe in and breathe out, intentionally drawing out your breath and thanking God for it. Without Him, nothing lives. It’s His breath in our lungs and holding everything living together.
Photo Credit: Unsplash/Greg Rakozy
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Originally published Monday, 09 December 2024.
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