Craig Clouston

The Breath of Life

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

The car came out of nowhere, slamming into the driver’s side door of her SUV. The side airbags deployed immediately, preventing her serious injury. But the man in the oncoming car had been ejected through his windshield, coming to rest on the hood of her car.
Regaining her senses, she climbed over the console and exited the passenger side door, coming around the front of the car to check on the man. Holding her fingers to his neck, she discovered he had no pulse. Climbing up beside the man, she began first aid. Looking for blockage in his airway and finding none, she pinched his nose and began respirations, then pumped on the man’s chest. She continued CPR, and after five repetitions, the man responded, yet remained unconscious. He was transported to a nearby trauma unit where he eventually recovered from his injuries.
The very person he hit had saved his life by providing the precious breath necessary to sustain his life.

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It has been said we breathe some of the very air Jesus himself breathed two thousand years ago. Science says that all oxygen is recycled, stating that .00037 percent of all air molecules have been co-breathed by everyone who has ever existed. Regardless of the validity of that statement, we have all been given the gift of life.
When God “breathed into his nostrils,” He created life and an oxygen-rich environment capable of sustaining that life. We should never mistake the truth of the statement made in this passage. He didn’t just bring Adam to life; He created an atmosphere that would sustain us forever, giving us an opportunity to understand the awesome power of God.

Prayer

“Breath of Life, we thank You for life-giving oxygen. Without it, we could not survive. Help us to understand the power You possess and Your desire that we become vessels of that same power through the gift of the Holy Spirit. May we become fresh breath in a stagnant world. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”