Breathe. Just breathe.

Moses:

The Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 

the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26

Paul:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:23

Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all. 2 Thessalonians 3:16

Peter:

May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.  2 Peter 1:2

Benedictions are good. Have you ever looked at them? Have you ever pondered them? From these we see God’s heart for us through these servants who uttered them by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. How important is God’s peace when you need it? How important is this fruit of peace by the Holy Spirit? Do you actually know deep in your soul that He has you in His hands? Breathe. Inhale. Exhale.

We need to remind ourselves in the busyness of life and stop and breathe thinking and remembering that God has us in His thoughts, heart, and hands. We need to pause / selah and consider. Slow down and KNOW He is God. Remind yourself of His grace and mercy towards you. Remind yourself of what the Holy Spirit has spoken over your life.

I love the way Paul writes this to his ‘son in the faith’ Timothy.

I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.  For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you. 2 Timothy 1:3-7,14

Do you have anyone who encourages you like that? We all need those spiritually mature elders who lavish the love of God on us. Unfortunately those kinds of elders are scarce these days. If you can find them and be in a relationship with them … please listen to them, for they carry the heart of God for you.  I have this on our bedroom wall… “Inhale grace, Exhale gratitude”, and it’s a good reminder to breathe correctly.

Take some deep breaths and remember.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8

Selah.