Pastor Tom's Community

“The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.” —Job 33:4

We do not see the wind.

We feel it.

We observe it moving things, and we hear the whistle of its passage through objects that vibrate to its rhythm.

That physical manifestation of the breath of God is always giving life. The wind lifts seeds from dandelions and scatters them so that they may take root and bring forth new life. It blows wherever it will. It reminds us of how the Holy Spirit moves within our hearts.

God breathed into the nostrils of the first human, who became a living soul—a living person.

God breathes into our nostrils at birth so that we come alive as individual beings, breathing on our own.

God breathes His life-giving Spirit into us when we are born from above. We become enlivened image-bearers of His nature and presence in the world.

The book of Job testifies that God made us. That is the first step in our becoming human. We had to be made, fashioned, and created.

Every human being is custom-made. Each of us is the unique product of an almost infinite combination of codes within our DNA, making us like no one else. God has made us. His Spirit has done this in an invisible yet evident way.

Then the next step is even more personal and intimate: God breathes into us. The Almighty passes His life from Himself into us so that we may become fully human.

The breath that first gave us life is still able to renew, reshape, and restore us.

God, whose very Spirit hath created us,
Whose very breath hath caused us to breathe,
Reform, reshape, remake, and restore us,
For we have corrupted Thy image in us
Through our willfulness and pride.

We come to Thee for new birth
And for a fresh breath of life
From Thyself to ourselves.

Thou hast made us.
Thou hast given us life.
Make us new.
Grant us new life.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.