March 11, 2020 -- Psalm 119:131 -- Drawing Deep Breaths of Life
/I open my mouth and pant,
because I long for your commandments.
Psalm 119:131 English Standard Version
When is it you pant? Pant. Funny word. It is a word we usually associate with a dog. There is the mongrel, you can see all its teeth as the mouth gaps, tongue lolling forward, and its sides heaving and contracting as it tries to bring in as much air as possible. How often do you see a person pant? If you engage in sports or love watching sports, then you’ll see a person pant.
A female elite athlete who has just completed the 100 m butterfly will leave the water and pant for breath. A marathoner who has just completed the iron man triathlon—2.4-mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and 26.22 mile run—will likely pant at various stages in that competition. The point is, when you have been fighting with all the energy you have, your body will need oxygen. Your lungs will cry out for more air to supply the various parts of the body depleted by the efforts. You will pant.
When we are engaged in our Christian faith—at home, at school, in quiet times and at work—we will find we are fighting the wickedness of the culture all around us. We will experience swimming against the current of fears—climate fears, corona-virus fears, financial market collapse fears—which the world pours out on us. As believers we pant for the LORD’s commandments. We know His instructions are life and breath for us. No matter the conditions of the world, its calamities or its imagined successes, Christians live with the rock-solid assurance the King of Heaven and Earth is in charge.
Living our Christian faith out loud means that there will be many times we face opposition. Our faith will be ridiculed. Our confidence in the goodness of the Holy One will be severely questioned. We will be fighting headwinds of disbelief. It will take the engagement of the will and the mind, the soul and body in order to fight forward to the prize—knowing Jesus Christ more fully and obeying Him more completely. We may, like an athlete, pause midway through the competition to gather our breath. We may consider, questioning ourselves: “am I really going to complete this? Can I do this?” We feel the surging tides of doubt and the rebel sighs welling up within us. At that very moment we need to pant for the restoration of our sure confidence. Cry out to the Spirit of God, to make us ready to take on the challenges before us in the strength of God.
The Spirit of God is called “the Breath of God”. He takes the things of God—His Word, His love, His justice, His wisdom and by these animates our Christian faith. The Spirit of God breathes life into our marathon-exhausted souls. Little wonder the psalmist opened wide his mouth and panted for the commandments of the LORD, in them he breathes deeply of life that is right, beautiful, and true.
Holy Spirit breathe new life into our willing souls. Holy Spirit we confess that some of us are exhausted by the efforts of faith and unsure of our next steps. Some of us have been confronted with the weaknesses in our training. Others of us are panting unsure of what it is we seek. Mighty Spirit fill our lungs with the air of heaven. Spirit of Truth direct us in the way of Christ, the Captain of Salvation. Spirit of Adoption remind us that all who believe are sons and daughters of the Most High God and He has chosen us in love before the foundation of the world. Triune God as we pant for You, remind us that Your divine power has granted us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him Who called us to His own glory and excellence. Thank You faithful, Holy God, for the richness of our salvation poured out in Christ Jesus and guaranteed by the mighty presence of Your Spirit. Amen.
