Humans were created to glorify God. God's very breath gives us life, and it is through our breath that we offer back to him prayer and worship. Psalm 150:6 declares, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord." Every living human being (and all animal life, too) has been given life and breath from God, and so the psalmist calls on all life on earth to glorify God in acknowledgment of who He is and that His Creation is good.
Considered from this perspective, breath prayers seem like a natural outpouring of praise back to the God who made us. But even though this form of prayer has been in existence since the 13th Century, it may not be familiar to many Christians. Let's explore breath prayers and how they can help us in our walk with God.
At the beginning of human existence, God created man out of the Earth that He had formed. But the man was lifeless until God breathed into him, jumpstarting him to life. From that day to this, the breath that God gives is the difference between life and death. With every inhale and exhale, we exist to bring glory to our creator.
In her article, “7 Prayers to Breathe in God’s Strength First Thing in the Morning” Whitney Hopler writes that “The English word ‘inspiration’ comes from the Latin word ‘inspirare,’ which means ‘to breathe into.’” She adds, “ The connection between breath and inspiration is profound. Breath is the essence of life, given to you by God. Your breath not only makes it possible for you to live physically; it also symbolizes the spiritual life and strength you receive from God.”
A breath prayer involves an inhale and then an exhale with a short truism about God or a short Scripture passage. Although breath prayers are fairly open-ended, they have a rough outline or structure that's helpful to follow.
The idea is to inhale comfortably and naturally while contemplating a short truism about God or a short portion of Scripture. On the exhale, you say or contemplate the words that complete one round of the prayer. There are so many words to choose from when doing breath prayers. You can say what is on your heart, for example, “Come Lord Jesus/I need your healing.” You can also pray God’s word back to him, using Scripture like “I will strengthen you, I will help you/I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Ask the Holy Spirit to inspire you as you choose your prayers. Unless you feel led to do so, you don’t have to say the same thing over and over in your mind. Perhaps you can use other Scripture you have memorized, the lyrics of a beloved hymn, or a list of people that you are praying for (salvation, healing, finances, etc.)
In her article, “How Breath Prayers Helped Me Pray Continually," Esther Shin Chuang writes that breath prayers were originally known as “Jesus Prayers," and were practiced by Egyptian desert monks as early as the third and fourth centuries. "The most well-known Jesus Prayer was inspired by Mark 10:47: 'Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me,'" writes Chuang.
She also found that In the 13th century, Nicephorus the Hesychast (a Byzantine emperor from 802-811 AD) connected this form of prayer to breathing. “The publication of Philokalia (1782), a collection of Greek Christian monastic texts, and The Way of a Pilgrim (1884)—a story of a pilgrim who was practicing the Jesus Prayer—helped the practice gain wider exposure.”
There are many verses in the Bible that talk about the power of the breath of God:
By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth (Psalm 33:6).
The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, LORD, at the blast of breath from your nostrils (Psalm 18:15).
Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being (Genesis 2:7).
The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life (Job 33:4).
This is what God the LORD says— the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it (Isaiah 42:5).
As long as I have life within me, the breath of God in my nostrils, my lips will not say anything wicked, and my tongue will not utter lies (Job 27:3).
When we read His word, we experience God's exhale. As 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness…” Everything we need to know about life (especially about God’s plan for it) is found among the words that God inspired people to write for us.
Breath prayers are a great way to slow down, center our thoughts on God, deeply inhale and exhale (not forcefully) and relax. It is a great form of meditation that can be done anytime, anywhere, and throughout the day. In his article, “Prayer as Breathing," Mike DeVries writes, “I think this is essentially what Paul is getting at when he tells the followers of Jesus in Thessalonica to ‘pray continually.’” DeVries goes on to say, “I doubt that he was telling them to walk around continually with their heads bowed and eyes closed. Rather, I think he was inviting them to see prayer as a connection, as a way of living and breathing, a way of being connected to and communing with the Creator, which affects body, mind, and soul."
Here are a few other examples of possible words to use in your Breath prayers.
Inhale: “The Lord is my Shepherd”; Exhale: “I have everything I need”
Inhale: “God loves me”; Exhale: “Jesus died for me”
Inhale: “Jehovah Rapha”; Exhale: “You are my Healer”
Inhale: “Jehovah Shalom”: Exhale: “You are my Peace”
Inhale: “Thank You God”; Exhale: “You preserve my life.”
Inhale: “I love you Lord”; Exhale: “Please guide me.”
Inhale: “When I am afraid”; Exhale: “I will trust in You.”
Inhale: “When I pass through the waters”; Exhale: “You will be with me”
Inhale: “Never will you leave me”; Exhale: “Never will you forsake me”
First, call on your Heavenly Father to join you in this time of prayer. Then the goal is to focus intently on the few words you are thinking about, while relaxing your body during the inhalation and exhalation. For example, using the prayer inspired by Mark 10:47, you could inhale while repeating in your mind “Jesus Christ, Son of God” and exhale while repeating silently “Have mercy on me.” You would repeat this sequence over and over again or you could follow with more prayers.
As mentioned, there are physical, mental, and spiritual benefits to incorporating Breath Prayers into your day. First, when you take time to slow down your breath and breathe deeply (from the belly is best), you can reduce heart rate, lower blood pressure, increase lung capacity and diaphragm strength, and send more oxygen throughout your body. God made our bodies to greatly benefit from deep breathing which can help lower our stress and anxiety in addition to helping us connect with Him and the world around us.
Add prayer and the body benefits will extend to your mind. Slow, deep breathing and meditating on Scripture/the Lord means you are spending focused time in God’s presence. James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” I find that when I pray this way, unrushed and attentive to what the Lord may be teaching me, I learn something new from the Holy Spirit. I’ve also learned that this is the best way to spend time with the Lord when I’m feeling anxious or depressed, as it always makes a difference in eradicating negative thoughts and feelings.
Another benefit of Breath Prayers is they are easy to teach to children. In addition to praying with parents and others, Breath Prayers teach kids that God listens even when we talk to him in our minds. It also instills in them that they should slow down, breathe deeply and take time to pray a short prayer to God respectfully. And they can do that throughout the day if they wish. They can also memorize Scripture while they are praying.
It may also be helpful to keep a journal and jot down what you have prayed in your breath prayer that day. You may want to repeat the same prayer or change it from day to day, depending on your circumstances and what God lays on your heart. May the practice of breath prayers draw you closer to the Lord from moment to moment, in whatever situation you find yourself.
Further Reading
Prayer as Breathing
7 Prayers to Breathe in God's Strength First Thing in the Morning
How to Incorporate Breath Prayer into Your Prayer Life
Photo credit: ©Zac Durant/Unsplash
Mary Oelerich-Meyer is a Chicago-area freelance writer and copy editor who prayed for years for a way to write about and for the Lord. She spent 20 years writing for area healthcare organizations, interviewing doctors and clinical professionals and writing more than 1,500 articles in addition to marketing collateral materials. Important work, but not what she felt called to do. She is grateful for any opportunity to share the Lord in her writing and editing, believing that life is too short to write about anything else. Previously she served as Marketing Communications Director for a large healthcare system. She holds a B.A. in International Business and Marketing from Cornell College (the original Cornell!) When not researching or writing, she loves to spend time with her writer daughter, granddaughter, rescue doggie and husband (not always in that order).