Breathing a Miracle

The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
Job 33:4

Recommended ReadingPsalm 33:6-9

If you're reading this devotional -- you're breathing. As long as we're healthy, breathing is subconscious and effortless. But the elaborate breathing cycle is incredibly intricate. Controlled by the nervous system, breathing is regulated by the respiratory center of the brain and more than twenty respiratory muscles.


In all his achievements through the centuries, man cannot boast that he created breathing. Every breath we breathe is a gift from God. He is the originator of the process that begins and sustains life. The Book of Genesis beautifully describes the creation process: "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being" (Genesis 2:7). God's "breath of life" gives man his lifeblood, and "the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding" (Job 32:8).

Make this the day you inspect your own breath of life. If there's any false pride that's arisen, remember that man doesn't own anything -- including his first breath. What we have is from God's gracious hand, and only what we give back to Him will live and breathe forever.

The world asks, "What does a man own?" Christ asks, "How does he use it?"