Sometimes an old hymn springs up in the forefront of my mind and though I may try, it will not be pushed back. This morning is such a time, and the voice of my mother singing next to me seated in the old wooden pews of my childhood church still echoes delight to my soul….
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
fill me with life anew,
that I may love what thou dost love,
and do what thou wouldst do.
That is my prayer this morning….that I would be filled with new life, and that I would love and do what God loves, and what God does. Jesus said that He did what He saw His Father doing. It is possible…
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
until my heart is pure,
until with thee I will one will,
to do and to endure.
Endurance. Wow, I’ve been here before. By definition, endurance is to possess the ability or power to bear prolonged exertion, pain or hardship. Childbirth comes to mind. But so does losing my husband. And later in life my job. And what about caring for that aging parent who may not even remember you some days? I’ll wager you have known the exertion, pain and hardship as have I. But have you endured? Have I? That is my prayer…that I will.
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
till I am wholly thine,
till all this earthly part of me
glows with thy fire divine.
Being wholly God’s…it is possible. It’s called surrender, and the word has been used so often that we let it pass over our lips without much pondering anymore. Surrendering involves a certain giving up, and giving in. Giving up our rights and giving in to God’s will. But the end result is that our inner fighting and conflict will cease. Why wouldn’t I want that? Make me wholly Yours, God. Make me willing to be made willing.
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
so shall I never die,
but live with thee the perfect life
of thine eternity.
And that’s the end result. Life eternal with God, not apart from Him. Life eternal is a sure thing whether it is with God, or apart from Him. May we choose life in God’s presence, even while we are here on this earth.
Amen (so be it).
Connie,
ReplyDeleteI know I have shared with you before how those old hymns are so deeply intertwined in my soul and upbringing. Your first paragraph brought such a vivid picture of my own church and I heard my own mother harmonizing beside me. I love this hymn. Thanks for bringing it to mind today and adding such poignant thoughts about it.
Trudy