Bible Reading: John 6:63
Reason #3: Prayer is a Christian’s spiritual breath of life.
None of us can survive without oxygen. We need oxygen. Even a few minutes without oxygen can be fatal. Oxygen keeps us alive. It cleanses and purifies our bodies, removing waste material. It provides fuel for our cells. Without oxygen, we become weak…and then we die.
John 20:22 says, “And with that he [Jesus] breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” The Greek word for “Spirit” and “breath” is the same word. At the time of creation, God breathed into the man, Adam, to create life. Then, after Jesus’ resurrection, He breathed spiritual life into us by giving us His Holy Spirit.
Prayer is the oxygen of the Christian. Prayer is our very breath of life. An unknown writer put it this way, “Prayer is the breath of the soul, as air is the breath of the natural body. We breathe in spiritual life by praying in the Holy Spirit. You cannot say a single word of prayer from your heart without the Holy Spirit.”
It is through the Holy Spirit that our prayers make their way to God. Romans 8:26 & 27 say, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.”
Just as oxygen continues to exist, even if we try to stop breathing, the power and life available to us is always there. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are in continual communication and communion with one another, waiting for us to join them. When we join them through prayer, we receive a fresh breath that revives and revitalizes our Christian life.
I hope you will breathe deeply of the Lord through prayer today and every day.
“But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.” Jude 20 & 21
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the breath of life I have through Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name. Amen.