Breath

Many have searched for God. Many believe that they have found His image in the creation. Some say that the finger prints of The Divine are seen in the canyons, or maybe the stars. Some say they can see His face in the clouds. Recently one lady saw the face of God in her toast, someone believed and purchased that toast on Ebay for an incredible amount. But where is God? This is a question that has been asked through out the ages, even some of the heroes of the Bible have pondered and asked this question.

A man named Elijah asked. "Where are you God? Can I see you?" Elijah asked because he was discouraged. I think all of us have asked that question at least once out of discouragement. I know I have. I know I have been with people who have suffered and they have asked the question…”Where are you God?” or “Where was God when this happened to me?” It is a valid question.

Elijah asked it and wanted to see the proof that God was there. So God played along. He sent him out to the mountains to wait and God would pass by. While Elijah waited, a wind came by with such force and violence it tore a mountain in half. But the Lord wasn’t in the wind. Then an earthquake, but the Lord wasn’t in the earthquake. Then fire, still not the Lord. After the fire came a gentle whisper. Here is the record:
12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. 1 Kings 19:12-13 NIV

“gentle whisper” demamah (translated gentle) literally means silent, and qowl (whisper) means voice. So literally where we translate “gentle whisper”- it is to mean a silent voice. God is telling us something significant. He wasn’t in the larger, louder, brighter things he was in a silent voice. So again what is a silent voice? It is a breath. Many of the old sages and translators believe that this still voice or silent voice is breath. God was in the breath.

The Genesis account of the creation of the Bible tells us that “God breathed into the nostrils of man and he became a living soul.” The first thing man had to do to live was receive the breath of God. In that same creation account the name of God is revealed as Yahweh which means “The Lord”. When you pronounce the name of God, “Yahweh” it is the same rhythm as a breath. When God breathed into the nostrils of man, it wasn’t any breath, it was the breath that gives life. It was a silent voice. It was the name of God, Yahweh.

From the time of the creation of man until today every baby will breathe to live. That breath contains something of God. It contains the life giving name of God. Outside of God, there is no life. And unless a person will say the name, they cannot live. They may deny His existence, they may scoff at His work, but they will say His name or die.

5 You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Each man's life is but a breath. Ps 39:5 NIV

What is death? Many define it as when we take our last breath. Or when we no longer can breathe. They are right. But it isn’t the absence of the breath that kills as it is the missing name that seperates the dead from the living. The moment the quiet whispered name of God can no longer be said that person is no longer alive. Death is when God takes away His name from their lips and they no longer are living but are simply the compounds, and chemicals that made them up. So maybe that is what the Psalmist is talking about here:

9 When you hide your face,
they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
they die and return to the dust. Ps 104:29 NIV


So where is God? Not where we expect. Elijah expected God to show up and save the day. Don’t we do the same? Don’t we want God to be Superman or Robocop and come in and make things better? Instead God let Elijah and us know that you are alive and I am but a breath away. Live.

Hate

Horrible. This is the only word I could utter after having spent the morning combing the halls of the Holocaust Memorial in Israel. Image after image, each one painting a picture of the horror of human hate. I worked very hard not to let the images sink in, at least at first. Then I turned the corner and was face to face with the photograph that broke down my resolve not to cry. It was a print of a woman clinging to her child with her back to her soon to be executioner. The muzzle of the rifle was trained on the neck of the mom, her body tense expecting the blow but still shielding the child from the gruesome sight. The image was recorded just moments before the shot. How horrible to be put in a position of desiring to protect your child and at the same time being helpless against your attacker. It was in the moments of weeping before this print I thought of something that had not occurred to me. Who took the picture?

Who would want a picture of such a nightmarish sight? Why at that moment did he squeeze the shutter open? Was it by accident? Did he really want an image of the bullet piercing the mother and her son, and through mistaken timing had recorded an image milliseconds earlier than intended? Was this to be a trophy for the killer? Was this print circulated around the barracks and laughed at by spineless weak minded murders? The intended reason for the image may never be known but its affect on me is something I will never forget.

In my moment of anguish as I empathized with this mom I was interrupted by a plump red faced woman who blurted out “This is more than I can take, let’s go eat.” I couldn’t believe my ears. Lets go eat? That’s all she had to say about this memorial? This monument represents six million lives that were stripped of dignity, starved of the basics of humanity, and murdered. I guess a representation of such great sacrifice isn’t enough to keep the attention of the complacent millions whose number one is themselves. I almost asked God to let her choke on her “much needed” lunch but asked for forgiveness instead.

There is no happy ending to this story. I left the memorial, dejected, hurt and angry. That day I didn’t feel very Christian. I really didn’t like some people and wondered how God puts up with us.

It has been a week or so since I was there and I still am not real sure what I can do with the emotions I have. So I pray and trust God will give me the answers and grace to press out a life lesson from it all. I am working to understand how to love those like Hitler, and plump red faced self absorbed people. Not there yet.



“Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”
-Jesus

God of Creation

In my past life I was a professional photographer and owned my own studio. I recently picked my camera back up and sought to capture images of the world we live in. This beautiful world was a direct result of an intentional compassionate creator. Let me know if you enjoy the images...