The Divine Ventilator

"GOD formed Man out of dirt from the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life. The Man came alive-a living soul!" Genesis 2:7 from The Message

This message is about breathing, your breathing. In, out, in, out, deep long cleansing breaths that open the passageways so those frisky little oxygen molecules can latch on to a red blood cell and dash off to power up the muscles you're gonna need to pack a Bucket of Love for Mississippi.

This is also a devotional about being "on a ventilator," rather than walking around doing the breathing yourself. "On a ventilator," means that someone else is doing the breathing work you cannot do yourself.

The Creator taught us about all of this when He knelt beside muddy Adam, leaned over His son's chest and blew the first human lungs full of Spirit Wind. That's right, Adam's first breath wasn't just plain old earth air, even though Eden's air would have been purer than the air of Easter Island. This was Spirit Wind! God breathing Himself into His kids. God filling the human tanks with an unending supply of Divine fuel. Man breathing in the best the Creator could offer.

The Creator, still the Great Breather, does the same thing in you today. You do not have the ability to self-start. Only God can do that in you. And He is ready, eager to connect you to His Spirit Wind and power up your life.

When he connects you to The Divine Ventilator, you have three options:

1. You can love Him fanatically, hold your breath, savor every Spirit molecule and tightly guard His gift so none of it gets away. That'll make your eyes bug out, turn you blue, and bring on a fit of awful coughing.

2. You can hate to have anyone else doing anything inside you and blow it out like a leaf-blower on steroids, getting rid of it before it pollutes your capillaries and turns you into a Creator Clone.

3. You can celebrate the connection, savor the power, and then breathe out praise, prayer, and service, making room for ever-deeper draughts of Spirit Wind.

To be a soul who is truly alive, you're going to need His high octane breath today, so open your pipes and let Him blow. Savor His power. Feel your mind, heart, and hope grow stronger. Then use His strength to blow back with Praise, Prayers, and Service. With every breath you'll enlarge your capacity to receive (and share) His gifts.

In. Out. IN. OUT. IN!

You cannot do this alone. It takes a connection to the Divine Ventilator.

Breathe On!

Dick Duerksen
Assistant Vice President
Mission development
Florida Hospital