When driving, I usually listen to talk radio. When I do listen to music, I rarely sing along. At birthday parties, I'm the guy mouthing the words. Even when working out I don't listen to music--I have an audio Bible I listen to, or I suffer in silence. I can't say that I don't like music; it just doesn't usually move me like it does other people.
There are days, however, when that's not true. Yesterday happened to be one of those days.
In church we sang the song, Great Are You Lord. I had to research the song in writing this to even find out who wrote it and found that it seems to have been originally written by a group called All Sons and Daughters. If that's in error, I apologize. My point isn't the song. My point comes from one line in the song that really grabbed me.
It's your breath in our lungs.
This isn't a new song for our church. I've heard it over and over, and yes, I realized what it was saying. This time, though, it really jumped out at me just how dependent we are on God. Our very breath comes from Him (Acts 17:25). That got me thinking about how we should act in response.
As the song goes, It's your breath in our lungs, so we pour out our praise. Because we recognize that the breath in our lungs comes from and belongs to God, our response should be to pour out our praise to Him.
But do we?
Do we really recognize and acknowledge that our very breath is a gift from God? Do we take that understanding, accept it, and respond the only way we should--by pouring out our thanks and praise?
Not often enough.
God gives us everything we need.
Starting with that breath you just took. The food we eat, the water we drink, the clothes on our back, the roof over our heads and everything else. Some have these things in greater quantity or quality than others, but all comes from God. Whatever you have, even if it is no more than the breath in your lungs, comes from God.
That's enough to be thankful for.
But we get caught up in what else we want from God. We want warmer air to breathe, so we ask God to give us a vacation home down South. Or we want it cooler, so we ask God for a break in the weather. We don't want to share our air with anyone else, so we ask God for solitude, or we're lonely so we ask God for someone to share it with.
It's not wrong to ask God, but it is wrong to fail to recognize what we already have and to thank Him for it. He already gave us the breath of life, and each breath we take. That's everything. That's life! He's also given us life eternal through His Son Jesus Christ. We have life because Jesus sacrificed His breath for our sake.
What more can we ask for?
It's time we poured out a little praise.
Today, recognize that without the breath God gives us, we wouldn't be here. Recognize that whatever else you want, God has already given you that. Realize your next breath depends on Him as well. If He gives us nothing else (but He does!), that alone deserves all our praise and adoration.
As you take a breath today, thank God for it.
The change in our perspective will be good for us.
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