Breathe Deep
Years ago, Jim and I found a band called Lost Dogs; some of the members had been part of the early Christian music movement. Their lyrics made us think and ponder anew the reality that is YHWH. This song is one of theirs that we sang with our youth groups.
Verse 1:
Politicians, morticians, philistines, homophobes
Skinheads, dead heads, tax evaders, street kids
Alcoholics, workaholics, wise guys, dimwits
Blue collars, white collars, war mongers, peaceniks
Chorus
Breathe deep
Breathe deep the breath of God
Breathe deep
Breathe deep the breath of God
Verse 2:
Suicidals, rock idols, shut-ins, drop outs
Friendless, homeless, penniless and depressed
Presidents, residents, foreigners and aliens
Dissidents, feminists, xenophobes and chauvinists
Verse 3:
Evolutionists, creationists, perverts, slum lords
Dead-beats, athletes, Protestants and Catholics
Housewives, neophytes, pro-choice, pro-life
Misogynists, monogamists, philanthropists, blacks and whites
I found the following meditation by Sandra Thurmond Coporale (https://churchatnewsong.com/yhwh-sandra-thurman-caporale/) to be worthy of consideration and cause for worship. I love seminal principles that engulf us all in the magnificence and loving purposes of God’s design for creation.
There was a moment when Moses had the nerve to ask God what his name is. God was gracious enough to answer, and the name he gave is recorded in the original Hebrew as YHWH. Over time we’ve arbitrarily added an “a” and an “e” in there to get YaHWeH, presumably because we have a preference for vowels. But scholars and Rabbis have noted that the letters YHWH represent breathing sounds, or aspirated consonants. *
When pronounced without intervening vowels, it actually sounds like breathing.
YH (inhale): WH (exhale).
So, a baby’s first cry, his first breath, speaks the name of God.
A deep sigh calls His name – or a groan or gasp that is too heavy for mere words.
Even an atheist would speak His name, unaware that their very breath is giving constant acknowledgment to God.
Likewise, a person leaves this earth with their last breath, when God’s name is no longer filing their lungs.
So, when I can’t utter anything else, is my cry calling out His name?
Being alive, means I speak His name constantly. So, is it heard the loudest when I’m the quietest?
In sadness, we breathe heavy sighs. … and breathe the Name
In joy, our lungs feel almost like they will burst….and breathe the Name
In fear we hold our breath and have to be told to breathe slowly to help us calm down…and breathe the Name
When we’re about to do something hard, we take a deep breath to find our courage….and breathe the Name
When I think about it, breathing is giving him praise. Even in the hardest moments!
This is so beautiful and fills me with emotion every time I grasp the thought. God chose to give himself a name that we can’t help but speak every moment we’re alive.
All of us, always, everywhere.
Waking, sleeping, breathing, with the name of God on our lips.
[*’aspirated’ has the word ‘spirit’ in it. To pronounce YHWH requires no flesh coming together; no tongue, no teeth, no lips, no throat. Breath/Spirit only]
Some days it feels hard to catch a breath. Especially at the holidays. Days are busy. The news is draining at best, Friends are hurting. Life is hard. One late night thousands of years ago, God took a breath of earth’s air as a baby. He spoke his own name into the night and his mother witnessed it; angels shouted and shepherds shared it in haste…. And everything changed. Since then, many souls have spoken the Name, aware and unawares, thousands of times. Today again I breathe deep… YHWH