Blessed assurance – Day 6
Breathe on me, breath of God
Bible text(s)
Ezekiel 37
Genesis 2
John 20
Ezekiel’s account of the valley of dry bones is one of the most striking passages in the Old Testament. In it, he speaks about being in the middle of a valley, the floor of which was covered in dry, human bones. God asks him if the bones can live, Ezekiel replies cautiously that God alone knows and the response is a demonstration of God’s power, as the bones comes together and are clothed in flesh. The miracle is only complete, however, when the breath of God enters them and they come to life.
I wonder if Edwin Hatch, who wrote the hymn, “Breathe on me, Breath of God”, had Ezekiel in mind when he wrote these words.
“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.”
This hymn is a prayer. Each verse starts with “Breathe on Me, Breath of God”. As well as Ezekiel’s story, this phrase also reminds me how God created us, how he “formed 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). It also reminds me of Jesus breathing on his disciples and saying to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:22)
We need the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, living within us, guiding us, inspiring us, helping us to live the kind of life that God created us to live. We need God to breathe on us, fill us with life anew and purify our hearts.
