Many of us are busy people who are often running from one responsibility to another. My years working toward two graduate degrees while raising three children, ministering full-time at church, and managing a severe chronic illness stretched the limits of my physical stamina and spiritual resilience.
In the busiest and most challenging times I needed more of God, not more time to accomplish tasks. Spiritual disciplines have provided the rhythms and space for me to stay connected to God as a branch is to a vine (John 15:6).
According to Adele Ahlberg Calhoun (Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices That Transform Us; IVP), centuries of connection exist between discipline and desire. She writes, “From its beginnings, the church linked the desire for more of God to intentional practices, relationships and experiences that gave people space in their lives to ‘keep company with Jesus.’”
Dallas Willard (The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives; HarperCollins Publishers) emphasizes engaging in spiritual disciplines as a means “to bring us into more effective cooperation with Christ and his Kingdom.” His writings helped lead me to explore different ways to practice my faith that fit my life context and focused me back on God and his mission.
In this and four future blog posts, the Rev. Howard H. Chang, who serves with InterVarsity’s Graduate and Faculty Ministries, shares five spiritual practices that help to center our lives on Jesus while transforming us into his likeness.
Breath Prayer
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
My speech therapist surprised me when he said I didn’t know how to breathe, that I needed to learn to breathe from my diaphragm and slow down to give my voice full support. Analogously, it wasn’t that I didn’t know how to pray. Rather, I needed to relearn how to pray in a way that fit into the natural rhythm of my life. Breath prayer became a vital way to connect me to God and pray continually.
Phileena Heuertz (Mindful Silence: The Heart of Christian Contemplation; IVP) introduces this spiritual practice: “Breath prayer is an ancient Christian prayer practice dating back to at least the sixth century…. Early practitioners would repeat to the rhythm of their breath the phrase, ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ In time, the prayer was shortened to, ‘Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy’ or simply, ‘Jesus, mercy.’”
The breath prayer itself is simple to do. Calhoun instructs, “Deeply breathe in, repeating any name of God that is dear to you. . . . As you exhale, voice a deep desire of your heart. . . . The brevity of the prayer allows it to be repeated over and over throughout the day.”
In breath prayer, I recognize that it is ultimately in God that “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). As I pray, I’m mindful of how each breath sustains my life and is a gift from God. Choose a breath prayer for the day and come back to it throughout busy moments to remind you of God’s presence and sustaining power.
Examples of breath prayers:
- Breathe in: “Lord Jesus,” breathe out: “have mercy on me, a sinner” (Luke 18:13, 18:39)
- Breathe in: “Good Shepherd,” breathe out: “lead me by still waters.” (Psalm 23:1-2)
- Breathe in: “God of Salvation,” breath out: “here I am, send me” (Isaiah 6:8)
(See NCF Student Ministries’ Instagram for frequent breath prayers examples: https://www.instagram.com/ncfstudentministry/)
Howard Chang serves as a Team Leader in InterVarsity’s Graduate and Faculty Ministries Pacific Area. He oversees ministries in the Central Valley, including the graduate student and faculty groups at UC Davis. Howard is an ordained minister who served in churches for over 20 years and holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Theological Seminary.
NCF has free resources for prayer and spiritual growth for students and nurses. Also check out the Journal of Christian Nursing for articles and article collections.
