“You gave abundant showers, O God; you refreshed your weary inheritance” (Psalm 68:9).
I love the rain. During rainstorms when I was a boy, my dad and I would sit in chairs with the garage door open to watch and listen to the rainfall. Storms show us God’s power. Rain reminds us of his love – we can’t live without its nourishment.
Rain washes away all the dirt so that when the sun comes out again everything is bright and clean. Probably you stand under a shower of rain every day to get clean – doesn’t that feel good! Maybe sometimes you take a shower not so much to clean your body as to clean your soul, or at least to feel washed. If you feel violated or distressed, a shower can help to soothe your soul.
It is the shower of God’s loving presence that provides the personal nourishment we need. Of course, the Holy Spirit lives inside each one of us who trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior – our bodies are his temple and he provides all that we need. In another sense, we need to be continually re-filled and renewed by the Spirit of Christ. It’s not so much that we need more of God, but that we can turn over more of ourselves to him – more of our attention and affection, more of our dependence and devotion.
This is why, like the Psalmist, I pray for God’s Spirit to rain down on me! Again and again, I need to be cleansed of sin and also of feelings of guilt or shame even when I didn’t sin. Continually I thirst for the Living Waters. My Breath Prayer inspired by Psalm 68:9 helps me to appreciate God’s rain:
O Lord, open the heavens… Pour down your rain.
Yes Lord, refresh us… Pour down your Spirit.
Why not take a breather now? Pause to listen to God’s rain… Breathe in slowly: “O Lord, open the heavens…” Breathe out: “Pour down your rain.” Receive a God’s filling: “Yes Lord, refresh us…” Release: “Pour down your Spirit.”
Breath Prayers like this are such a blessing to me. I’d love to teach you how to do Breath Prayers and to show you my favorite Breath Prayers from the Bible.
More Breath Prayers
To pray a short verse or paraphrase of Scripture as a Breath Prayer is refreshing and empowering. It helps you learn to practice God’s presence all day and stay in tune with the peace of Christ. I’ve selected key verses of Scripture and developed step-by-step instructions for meditation, breathing rhythms, and prayer in “Breath Prayer Guides.”
