Every thing that has breath
Every thing that has breath.
That’s the first part of the last sentence of the last (150th) Psalm: “Let every thing that has breath praise the Lord.” It’s one of the prayers/mantras I use as I run or bike on the lakefront. After the lung-heaving sputtering that marks the first mile or so of my exercise, I eventually settle into a rhythm, and this little sentence marks the miles.
People ask me all the time: how do you learn to pray? There are all kinds of ways to be in conversation or communion with God (that’s the heart of prayer), and one way is simply to be aware of your breath. That may sound “too easy to be real prayer” (as one friend told me), but whether you’re exercising or just sitting on the couch, paying attention to your breath is a way of clearing space for God in the midst of a frenetic, over-scheduled life. Just the sound of your own breathing will work, or you can add in a little thought or spoken fragment (the Psalms have lots to offer if you’re not feeling creative).
And as for whether this kind of praying is “real” or not, well, that God created us by breathing God’s own breath into our bodies (Genesis 2.6-7) and that Jesus gave the disciples the Holy Spirit by breathing on them (John 20.21-22) is good enough for me.
In peace, Trey
P.S. After reading this note, a friend sent me a link to video above, which he calls “oddly beautiful.” I definitely agree.
P.P.S. Join Urban Village Church this Sunday as we communally try breath prayer and BIKE TO WORSHIP!