The Divine Breath

It’s the second meeting of the women’s Bible study group. I sit nervously debating whether or not to share my answer to one of the discussion questions. It's one of the few in a ‘round about way’ that I filled out an answer for.

But one of the guidelines/rules (a literal list handed out the first night) is that the Bible is the ultimate truth. So as a rule follower, and since I read and listen to so many sources now, I could not remember ever reading my exact answer in the Bible so I wasn’t sure if I should share (yes, there are passages that parallel or could support my answer, but I can’t think of an exact description like the one I’ve internalized somewhere along the way). 

So thus my quandary. I could not remember where my answer came from. I just know that I came across it somewhere, and the idea got filed in my brain or heart as truth. Fortunately (or unfortunately?), before I could finish my internal debate, the group had quickly moved on to the next question; problem solved.

But I've been ruminating about it ever since. And I know I might get it out of my brain by writing about it here on my blog. And since I don’t have any rules, I've decided this is what I will do.

The study book had us read about a few names of God found in the book of Isaiah. And a discussion question asked if one of the names resonated more than another. 

The answer was easy for me. I chose YHWH in response to a side note that reminded me that YHWH “was considered so holy that even scribes didn’t say it out loud.” 

I’ve heard that within the Jewish faith, YHWH should not be spoken. But at some point I came across the suggestion that it’s not that it SHOULD NOT be spoken, but that it CANNOT be spoken. 

The story goes, as I understand it, that due to the Hebrew breathy-consonants that make up the word, YHWH sounds like it’s being breathed when spoken; and when breathed/spoken, it sounds like breath itself. 

I find this to be a beautiful, concrete image of the role of the Divine in creation; or as the Bible puts it (and I'm pretty sure this one is in there), the Breath of Life.

So when I filled in the blanks of the “complete-with-your-own words-sentence”, I wrote “I can trust Yahweh with my existence because He is breath”. 

The answer came quick and easy; complete and confirming. It’s the divine breath that animates us; we pray the name with every breath.

(As I write this, I googled to see if I could remember the source of where I heard this YHWH story that has lingered in my mind for so long. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that the idea is very common and discussed in numerous locations across the internet; that I'm not the only one contemplating it.)

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Have you ever noticed that when you are thinking about something a lot, you notice "the something" everywhere? For example, if you are thinking about buying a certain make and model vehicle, all of a sudden it seems like everyone and their dog is driving that particular car. 

I've always wondered if the instructions in the Bible about seeking and finding relates to this phenomenon;  like when I look for signs of Austin, I see him everywhere; when you look for signs of the Divine, you will see evidence everywhere.

At church this past week we sang two songs that (for me) noticeably referenced breath. One of the songs has been playing on repeat in my head for days:

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.

(Great are You, Lord, written by David Leonard, Jason Ingram, and Leslie Jordan)