The Breath of Life

When I was in my early twenties, I heard a preacher discussing eternal life. He said that some people think when you die you are dead all over like a dog named Rover.

I don’t share that sentiment. I believe in life after death. Eternal life.

I believe that we have a soul from the time of conception through all eternity.

And I believe that with every breath we take is worshipping God, our Creator.

Last year, I saw a video of a man speaking about our breath. It was inspiring, hopeful, and gave me peace.

I’ve thought about it’s concept a lot over the past year. Then yesterday, when one of the most important people in my life contacted me for prayers as he was in the hospital in very serious condition, I began to focus on it even more deeply. Hence, this post was born.

Moses asked God what His name is. God answered YHWH, and it is recorded in the original Hebrew.

We added an “a” and an “e” to get YaHWeH. It’s been said that we have a preference for vowels. I get that.

Rabbis and scholars concur that the letters YHWH, God’s holy name, represent breathing sounds, or aspirated consonants. Without the added vowels, it actually sounds like breathing.

YH (inhale)
WH (exhale)

So a baby’s first breath speaks the name of God as does the final breath of man before the soul leaves the body.

I believe this. And I believe that every person who ever lived, those who are living now, and those yet to be born, speak the name of God with every breath they take. Even those who deny the very existence of God.

When life support was to be removed from my father, I was there. I spoke to him hoping he could hear me as I expressed years of my suppressed love for him. We had had a tumultuous relationship. There was love but it was often buried deep beneath our hurt and differences.

I stayed with him as he made the journey between this life to the next. From the time they removed life support to when he was pronounced deceased was seven minutes. Seven minutes. We watched his last breath leave his body. YHWH. The two other family members left. I stayed. I had so much more to share with my dad.

Yet…as I held him and washed his face with my tears, there was a noticeable difference. I could tell that my dad was no longer in my presence. He was gone and my words just laid there in the emptiness.

I’ve never heard anyone ever speak of this transition until I watched a movie recently with Sally Fields. It was called Two Weeks. She had been in a coma and her kids would take turns talking to her. After she had passed, one of her sons went in to talk to her. He noticed that same difference after she passed as I did with my dad. She was no longer present. So he didn’t linger there. He just said goodbye. I lingered. My lingering was only for me, I realized.

Our breath is life. It is worship. It is the awesome name of our Creator. He breathed the breath of life into man, and He takes the soul after the last breath of His holy name.

Genesis 2:7
then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

We will never be able to recognize all the amazingly intricate detail that God inserted into all of His creation. I’m glad though that others discovered the beauty in our breath and how we praise God with every one.

It never ceases to amaze me how fragile life is yet how resilient our bodies are. The will to live in the flesh is strong as we want to remain here with those we love. My dad was absolutely not ready to leave. This life is all we know and the other side of death is scary to us. Regardless, life is eternal.

I praise God for answering prayer on behalf of my friend whom I love so much. He is still in a fragile state of health but God is ever-present and we find great comfort in that. Live life fully with Jesus as your comfort and guide, and with gratitude knowing that there’s is still much more awaiting you on the other side of death. And breathe…

The breath of life is in His holy name. ♥️

Andi

Photos: 1) credit to my daughter, Mattea; 2) goodseed.com