This lovely story is in the category of “author unknown,” and you may have already seen it (as my daughter had when I read it to her, all misty-eyed). It had never crossed my path before a friend sent it along, and my heart got all glowy in the reading. Had to share…
There was a moment when Moses had the nerve to ask God what his name is. God was gracious enough to answer, and the name he gave is recorded in the original Hebrew as YHWH.
Over time, we’ve arbitrarily added an “a” and an “e” in there to get YaHWeH, presumably because we have a preference for vowels.
But scholars and Rabbi’s have noted that the letters YHWH represent breathing sounds, or aspirated consonants. When pronounced without intervening vowels, it actually sounds like breathing.
YH (inhale) ~ WH (exhale)
So a baby’s first cry, his first breath, speaks the name of God.
A deep sigh calls His name – or a groan or gasp that is too heavy for mere words.
Even an atheist would speak His name, unaware that their very breath is giving constant acknowledgment to God.
Likewise, a person leaves this Earth with their last breath, when God’s name is no longer filling their lungs.
So when I can’t utter anything else, is my cry calling out His name?
Being alive means I speak His name constantly.
So, is it heard the loudest when I’m the quietest?
- In sadness, we breathe heavy sighs.
- In joy, our lungs feel almost as though they’ll burst.
- In fear, we hold our breath, and we often have to be reminded to breathe again in order to help us calm down.
- When we’re about to do something challenging, we take a deep breath to source our courage.
When I think about it, breathing is giving him praise. Even in the most difficult moments!
This is so beautiful, and my heart swells every time I grasp the thought…
God chose to give himself a name that we can’t help but speak in every moment that we’re alive.
That’s all of us, always, everywhere…
Waking, sleeping, breathing, with the name of God on our lips.
