Breathe
Prayer is the believer’s breath.
When Saul of Tarsus was converted, transformed from the great anti-Christian of his age to the world’s leading proponent of Christianity, one of the first and most notable things about the new Saul is recorded in Acts chapter 9, verse 11. Temporarily blinded by his life-changing vision of Jesus, Saul was taken to the home of a fellow named Judas. Shaken to his core, Saul neither ate nor drank for three days. During this time, the Lord appeared in another vision to a prophet named Ananias, instructing him to visit his new brother. Jesus told Ananias where he could find Saul, what to say and do to him, and said this about him: “Behold, he is praying.” Saul, who would become famous as the Apostle Paul, was from his first day as a Christian to his last characterized by prayer – which is precisely what one would expect of a man who attempted to pattern his life after that of the Lord Jesus, the Man of Prayer. In his letters, which compose so much of the New Testament, Paul makes frequent mention of his own prayers and he challenges those who confess Christ to be people of prayer.
I think I sometimes have wrong thoughts about prayer. Praying is not a rule or a law for believers to obey, a regulation that I’m to keep, or else. When I think of prayer like this it makes me feel guilty. I decide to try harder because I know I ought to, and prayer can feel like a burden, a law that demands to be obeyed. No, prayer is not a demand but a description. Praying is what Christians do; it is a function of the new life. Just as a baby breathes, a believer prays. This is why Paul can say what he does in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.”
A human being breathes without thinking, whether awake or asleep. Have you never prayed in your sleep? I suspect you have. A person who isn’t breathing isn’t living, and a Christian who isn’t praying isn’t alive.
Breathing is pleasant and refreshing, and when out-of-breath taking deep breaths can be as refreshing as cold water to a thirsty man. Prayer should be like that, a pleasant and at times deeply enjoyable exercise. And though I can breathe without thinking about it, sometimes I do think about it. I remember when my wife and I, young expectant parents, attended Lamaze classes where she was taught how to breathe and I was taught how to coach her to breathe. Nancy had been breathing all her life and was by this time pretty good at it. But delivering a baby is incredibly demanding and it was helpful to learn a special kind of breathing. Sometimes, when I exert myself and push my limits physically, I am much more conscious of my breathing, my breaths being stronger and deeper. So it is with prayer. Some praying is almost as subconscious as normal breathing. But there are other forms of praying that are much more intentional and demanding and require great exertion. There are even forms of prayer, like Lamaze, that we have to be taught. In the words of Colossians chapter 4, verse 2:
“Focus on prayer and be vigilant as you do, enjoying the pleasantness of prayer.” (My translation.) In other words, “Breathe.” AJJ
Prayer is the believer’s breath.
Arsento on Sat, 28th Nov 2009 8:23 pm
I added your blog to bookmarks. And i’ll read your articles more often!