Breathe in God’s Breathe
An arrogant young man came to the known philosopher Socrates one day and asked him for
knowledge. Socrates recognized the haughtiness of this person, so he guided him to sea and took him
into the water at the chest level. Then he asked him, “What did you say you wanted?”
“Knowledge, O great Socrates,” answered this young man.
Socrates suddenly pushed down the fellow’s shoulders and put him under the water for a
number of seconds. Then he let him up and asked, “What do you want, young man?”
Struggling for breath, this person gasped, “Knowledge!”
Socrates dunked him under the water even longer, then he let him up. “What do you really
want?”
Panting heavily, the young man shouted, “Air! I need air!”
The philosopher stressed, “When you want knowledge as much as you have just wanted air,
then you will begin to find knowledge.”
To a fool who cannot discern right from wrong, a piece of wisdom is a gem.
To a poor man who owns nothing, a small amount of money is wealth.
To a hungry man who has not eaten for days, a handful of food is a feast.
To a desperate runner reaching for the finish line in the last 10 seconds, time is gold.
But to a drowning man gasping for breath, air is life.
In the physical, we need air to breathe and live. But in the spiritual, God’s breath is even more
vital to survive. So, may our desire be more than just inhaling and exhaling air. We necessitate breathing
in God’s breath to be alive and have the power to conquer the harsh forces of this world.
VALLEY OF DRY BONES
God showed a gripping vision to Ezekiel as he was brought to the middle of a valley that was full
of dry bones. “The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and
set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all
around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry” (Ezekiel
37:1-2, NKJV).
Valleys in the Bible have positive connotations, but they also have negative implications. When
Ezekiel was placed in the middle of the valley of dry bones, the experience was unfavorable, debilitating
and horrifying. No one wants to be positioned in valley-like circumstances—in saddest, most fearful, or
most hopeless times in our lives. But we are often driven into those somber places by the enemy, by the
people around us or by our own doing. Staying there is distressing, but we must never refuse or abhor
our valleys. God allows it to happen for us to experience the fusion of power and comfort of His
presence. Just like David, we can boldly testify to Him, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me…” (Psalm 23:4, NKJV).
When Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah were facing a multitude of soldiers from Moab and
Ammon, they sang and made music to the Lord. God twisted their supposed daunting battle. When they
arrived in the valley, their enemies already killed each other. Instead of fighting, they collected all the
spoils of war for three days. Jehoshaphat named that valley Beracha or blessing. God can turn the valley
if battle into the valley of blessing!
Heaven-sent winders often occur in the valleys. David defeated Goliath in the valley of Elah.
Joshua overpowered the Amalekites in the valley of Rephidim, and he won the battle over the Amorites
when the sun stood still over the valley of Aijalon. When King Ahab and Israel fought over Arameans,
their enemy believed that the God of Israel was only the God of the hills, and not of the valleys, because
Samaria is situated in the hill of country Israel. They attacked Israel on the Hills, and God’s people won.
They also attacjed Israel in the lower plains in the valley of Aphek, but Israel still prevailed. God id not
limited to giving us triumphs in blissful moments; He is sovereign even as we go through patches. He is
the God of hills and valleys, and our valleys can become His platform for miracles and victories!
Let us not run away nor be intimidated by the valleys in our lives. Problems, sicknesses,
inadequacies, failures and even death are God’s channels to manifest the augustness of His power.
Man’s infirmity is God’s opportunity. Man’s limitation is the Lord’s room for miracles. Walk through the
valley, and God will be with you.
God’s query to Ezekiel after finding himself in the middle of the valley was absurd, “Son of man,
can these bones live?” With the parched bones, washed out by long exposure to the atmosphere, the
answer to the question is obvious: The bones could not live! But Ezekiel, possessed with faith, left the
question of possibility to God knowing that nothing is impossible to Him. Ezekiel’s
