This is one of those songs that you almost breathe it, rather than sing it, but it’s a beautiful old hymn – “Breathe on Me Breath of God.” If you know it, sing along…
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.
You know, my friend John – he’s barely making it. A severe neuromuscular disease is at the root of it all, and when I went to visit him not long ago, I knew I could not stay long to see him. John tires easily in his wheelchair. And as if a feeding tube isn’t enough, he is now facing the decision of whether or not to go on a ventilator. Breathing doesn’t come easy for him. And maybe that’s why, as a quadriplegic, I gain so much inspiration from being around him. During my visit, he said, “Joni, sing for me.” A simple request and so I launched into a round of happy hearted hymns. I was surprised when I saw him mouth along the words.
I said, “John, please don’t tire yourself.” My friend, however, cannot resist a chance to enlarge his soul’s capacity for God with the singing of a good hymn, and so, he half-whispered, he half-sang everything from “Climb, Climb Up Sunshine Mountain” to “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name.” And by the close of our visit, he was exhausted.
About a week or so later, I was rudely awakened in the middle of the night by a searing pain in the back of my neck. And try as I could, I was not able to squirm my shoulder into a comfortable position - remember, I’m paralyzed and can’t move. The clock read 2:00 a.m., and I did not have the heart to wake up Ken, and so I lay there in the dark, pushing away anxious feelings: If only I could escape into sleep. If only morning would come. I tried to fight it off by breathing deeply. Okay, Joni, breathe in; breathe out. Very slowly, in and out.
Suddenly it hit me. What I was struggling with for the moment, my friend John lives with every day. I then knew exactly what to do about my pain and panic. I began softly singing to myself the same song which had quieted him. Except this time, it was a prayer for me. Breathe on me, breath of God. As the panic subsided, I thought about all the nights that John probably lies awake, fighting for each breath. I thought about all the children I know with cystic fibrosis whose lungs are filling with fluid. I prayed for them and so many others. And you know what, that made me relax and before long I mumbled my last prayer and drifted off to sleep. You know it’s true, expending our breath on others – it’s the best prescription for every panic and pain.
I'll tell you another great prescription: more hymns like the one we sang today. I’ve got a collection of them I’ve recorded that I’d like to send you. It’s called “The God I Love,” and you can pick it up for the asking on my radio page at joniradio.org. Try expending your breath in songs and hymns; it’s a great prescription for praise and prayer for others in need.
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 91376
© Joni and Friends