Yoder: Breathing

I was there for my son’s first breath and my husband’s last—both intimate, life-changing moments that brought tears and joy in profoundly different ways.

When my husband died, I was in shock and infinitely sad. Yet, I felt joy that his suffering had ended and peace knowing he was with the Lord. I could imagine him opening his eyes in wonder as he inhaled his first breath in Heaven.

With our son’s first inhale, all our hopes, dreams, and possibilities for him sprang to life. This new person, so fresh from God, left us breathless.

This divine intimacy isn’t just ancient history—it’s echoed in our own stories, much like in the creation account. In Genesis 2:7, “the Lord God formed man out of the dust from the ground and then breathed into his nostrils the very breath of life…” How personal. How intimate. How life-changing. The Lord could have simply spoken man into existence or snapped His fingers. But instead, He knelt in the dust and formed Adam with His own hands—the same hands that “shut the sea with doors” (Job 38:8a).

I wonder, did Adam bear the imprint of God’s touch in his very being? Do we?

Then, the Lord God exhaled His own life force into Adam, animating him. Man came alive with the very breath of God—the same breath that declared, “Let there be light.” And there was light.

So this man, shaped from the earth itself, carried the breath of God within. The breath that created the earth now gave Adam life. When Adam inhaled and exhaled, he was drawing in and releasing God’s own essence.

Have you been around someone struggling for every breath? Witnessed that guppy-out-of-water gasping? It’s scary, but staying calm is key—anxiety only worsens it. When I’ve been with someone in distress, I slow my own rhythm, and they match it. It’s like companion breathing, syncing breath for breath.

Physically, we all need to inhale and exhale. But spiritually, we must do the same. We need to draw in the Lord of all creation and live immersed in His love. Without it, we’ll always gasp for something more.

Nothing else fills that void—not money, fame, relationships, status, or worldly pursuits. Only Jesus. God the Father knew this when He sent His Son. He saw His creation gasping, knew we needed a Savior, and provided forgiveness through His sacrifice for our sins.

This theme of divine breath echoes in the story of Job, where suffering tests faith and humility. Job’s three friends condemned him amid his trials. Young Elihu stayed silent out of respect for his elders. But when Job defended himself by claiming complete innocence—veering into self-righteousness—Elihu could hold back no longer. I imagine him drawing a deep breath, inhaling God’s wisdom along with it.

Elihu explained that while “age should speak and a multitude of years should teach wisdom,” true insight comes elsewhere: “But there is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him wisdom” (Job 32:7-8). Elihu’s words ring true because they stem from God.

When we embrace what Elihu tells Job—that “the Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life” (Job 33:4)—we can grasp “how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and…know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:18-19).

May we all draw that in deeply. May it infuse our very being as we navigate life on earth. Breathing is the rhythm of existence itself. Our breath and our lives originate from God, our Creator and Father—the very Breath of Life, as Jesus embodied when He breathed on His disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22).

And when someone gasps—physically or spiritually—may we offer companion breathing, just as biblical figures did. Consider Jonathan seeking out David in his time of fear and persecution, strengthening him in God through encouragement and reminders of divine promises (1 Samuel 23:15-18)—a syncing of spirits to steady a friend’s faith. Or Barnabas, the “Son of Encouragement,” who vouched for the newly converted Paul when others doubted, then partnered with him to build up the early church (Acts 9:26-28; Acts 11:22-26), breathing hope into isolation. In the same way, just as I’ve slowed my rhythm to ease a loved one’s distress, we can share God’s peace through prayer, scripture, or presence, syncing our spiritual pace to guide them back to the Lord. Paul urged this communal rhythm to the Thessalonians: “Encourage one another and build each other up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11), and the writer of Hebrews echoed it with a call to “encourage one another daily… so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness” (Hebrews 3:13).

What might change if you paused today to inhale God’s love?

Kathy Yoder is a devotional writer and Christian author. She may be reached at kathyyoder4@gmail.com and Kathyyoder.com.