Spiritual Disciplines and the Use of Breath Prayer

For the past month I have been participating in a study on Biblical spiritual disciplines.  We have just finished several weeks on types of prayers, and were encouraged to refresh our prayer life by frequently inserting one or more of these prayers.   I decided to start with one called ‘breath prayer,” which amounts to finding a short statement that can be prayed to God in the length of one breath.  Needless to say, these would be very short prayers.  Our directions were to spend some time in quiet consideration, Bible reading, and prayer with the specific focus on determining a breath prayer which would be meaningful at this point in our lives.  We also learned to expect fine tuning to occur naturally as we used the breath prayer until it felt as comfortable as breathing.  My prayer started out as, “Attune my heart to your heart and my ears to your voice God,” and ended up a bit shorter, “Attune me to your heart and voice oh God.”

I have been repeating this now for a little over a week.  I try to do so many times a day, and I have found that slowly I am becoming more aware of God’s heart and quicker to hear God speaking.  How has this play out in my life so far?  Well, as I interact with others I am more sensitive to God’s love for the person.  When I consider the current events, many which are troubling, I am more aware that all is in God’s hands, that He can and has toppled kings and nations; I feel a deeper sense of peace knowing whatever comes, God is in control.  As for hearing God’s voice, it has become most noticeable when I read scripture.  The words have more meaning to my life, and I receive them with an open heart.

For now, I will stay with this breath prayer while enjoying the deepening relationship I am having with my Lord, and the way it is molding me into a more compassionate  and peace-filled Christian.   I encourage you to consider seeking a breath prayer for your own life.  Remember person’s breath prayer is individual to them.  It is a private prayer between their spirit and God’s.  As with all Biblical spiritual disciplines, our faith is deepened, and because of that our lives are enriched.

Blessings on your journey.