Breathe on me, Breath of God!

Reflecting on Mark 8:11-13

“He sighed deeply and said, ‘Why does this generation ask for a sign?’ (Mark 8:12)

As a Jesus follower, I am called to love others deeply from the heart (1 Peter 4:8).
I am inspired by Jesus, who loved people deeply from the heart.
For the first time I am noticing the words “sighed deeply”.
I am remembering how last week in Mark 7 Jesus did the same.

“There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him. After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”).

The word ‘anastenazo’ conveys deep breathing or groaning, to take a deep breath.
It suggests that someone is working hard, and refreshing their inner resolve.
Jesus sees the bondage of this deaf and mute man.
Jesus sees the bondage of these blind and resistant religious leaders.
In both cases He is fighting something, a spirit of bondage.
Behind the struggle or resistance of people, He sees their deep need.

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8)

This is what we see in Jesus’s deep sigh or groan, a deep love.
A love that sees beyond the multitude of struggles, the multitude of sins.
Jesus sees us in our own struggle and sin, and sighs deeply.
Not with despair, not with frustration, not with anger, but with deep love.

If you have ever worked with people with deep struggles or needs, you know this.
Even as a parent, deep love will often express itself with a deep sigh.
Our deep sigh may include notes of despair, frustration and anger.
But even so, beneath them there is a deep love that is at work.
When we groan or sigh inwardly, this is not a lack of faith.
This is not a sign of failure to love, but a sign of deep love.
To the very end Jesus loved deeply, until He breathed His last deep breath (Mark 15:37).
And on resurrection day, He suddenly took a deep breath again.
And hope was renewed, and we can breathe deeply again too.

Jesus inspires me with His deep love, because it keeps me going.
He knows that I groan or sigh inwardly, and He joins me in it.

“Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.” (Romans 8:23)

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 through wordless groans.” (Romans 8:26)

We groan or sigh deeply, and the Spirit of Jesus groans and sighs with us.
It is His Spirit in us that is groaning and sighing, with deep love.
Through our deep love, the Spirit of Jesus is covering a multitude of sins.
We offer ourselves to those who struggle, to those who sin or resist Jesus.
Every deep sign is an inhaling and exhaling of the Spirit of Jesus.

When I think of my own struggles and sins…
When I think of the struggles and sins of people around me…
When I think of the struggles and sins of the church…
When I think of the struggles and sins of the world as a whole…
I can be overwhelmed, discouraged and defeated.
But then I see Jesus breathing deeply, sighing and groaning.
And I see in that deep breath the Spirit/breath of God inspiring hope.
Like the dust that became Adam (Genesis 2:7), I am revived.

Make Breath Prayer a spiritual practice, especially when you are struggling.
Stop, inhale deeply and slowly, then slowly exhale that breath.
Feel the Spirit of Jesus breathing deeply with you, renewing You.
Sense the Spirit of Jesus’s love being released to the space around you.
Sense the Spirit of Jesus’s love being extended to the people around you.
Don’t feel the need to pray with words; offer wordless groans with the Spirit.

Jesus gives us hope, as we work with those who struggle and sin.
Jesus gives us hope, as we go deal with our own struggle and sin.
His deep love covers a multitude of all our struggles and sins.
And His Spirit is still sighing and groaning with us, for us.
And will continue to do so, until we take our last breath.

PRAYER
Lord Jesus, when my breath faiths, You continue to breathe deep love in me. When my spirit groans and sighs deeply, Your Spirit signs and groans deeply with me. You know my struggle, You know my slowness, You know my stubbornness, You know my sin... and Your deep love covers over the multitude of it all.

Breathe on me, Breath of God, fill me with life anew, that I may love the way you love, and do what you would do.