Wednesday, February 22, 2017

The Miracle in Our Lungs

“Every breath that you take is a miracle.” - Switchfoot, Live It Well

I wish everyone could understand this incredible truth. Somehow, this message needs to be spread.

No matter how busy, burnt out, or low you are, I’m thankful for the breath in your lungs. I hope that you grow to be thankful for it too.

I know this world is waging war against us every day. It can be so difficult to find a way to get ahead; to stay on top of the waves that only seek to drown us. Sometimes, it can feel like nothing is going right. And yet, there is hope. Jeremiah writes in Lamentations that he has hope every day since God’s mercies are new.

But what exactly does this mean? Words can sound nice, but sometimes, they can lack power. Trip Lee, in one of his most vulnerable songs, says:


“Bro, I'm twenty-six, I should feel better by a mile!
Keep all your anecdotes and cute quotes;
I'll pass on clichés for true hopes, it too dope.” - Trip Lee, Sweet Victory

The true hope that Trip Lee talks about gives him strength to face every new day, even though he struggles with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).

This rapper-pastor continues to serve others in his community, church, and worldwide through his ministry and music. I’m sure a lot of the days he faces are long and hard-fought. After all, CFS is an incurable and untreatable disease. And yet, it seems that with every breath that he breathes, Trip Barefield is being used by God to reconcile the world.

God has given each of us breath in our lungs to serve Him. While this can seem selfish on His part, when we examine His nature, we find that all He does is give. He is constantly pouring out His love, grace, and mercy onto us, even when it doesn’t seem like it. The breath in your lungs is proof of that.

Sometimes, I think that God puts us in situations that are too difficult for us. He helps to see that we are dependent on Him for our strength. What’s amazing is that as we begin to trust Him to provide for our needs, He always pulls through.

One thing that gives me a lot of hope on days where I feel like I cannot go on is that God gives us enough strength for each day. Some days, we are given more strength than others. However, I know that when my strength runs out, the day is over. I can trust God to provide for the things that are left unfinished, and just go to bed. When we seek to serve Him in all that we do, the other things fall into place.

That kind of trust can be scary, especially when we give ourselves too much power and decide that we have control over everything that happens in our lives. When we take the steering wheel back from God, I think that we find more exhaustion or pain because we start living outside of His will. Surrender is scary, but needed.


“For the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said:
‘You will be delivered by returning and resting;
your strength will lie in quiet confidence.’” - Isaiah 30:15 HCSB

Surrender isn’t giving up and letting trouble sweep over us. It’s handing over the responsibility over to Someone Who is far more capable. We don’t need to try harder; we need to trust more. The breath in our lungs doesn’t just keep us alive; it’s there to bring praise to the God Who cares so deeply for us.


“It's Your breath in our lungs,
So we pour out our praise!
We pour out our praise!
It's Your breath in our lungs,
So we pour out our praise to You only.” - All Sons & Daughters, Great Are You Lord

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