November 26


Yodh, Heh, Vav, Heh!


… the LORD God … breathed into his nostrils the breath of life….

Genesis 2:7 (NIV)


I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

Ezekiel 37:6b (NIV)


“Oh, God!” I gasped. “Save him! Let him breathe!”

It was 1990, I was on my knees at Wilford Hall Medical Center and my son Ryan struggled in the hospital bed in front of me. His chest heaved as he desperately fought to pull in life-giving air. I didn’t know it at the time, but he battled the triple threat of pneumonia, malacia and asthma. It was a hard night.

I don’t know why, but each of my three boys have had trouble breathing. With Drew and Alex it happened at birth. Drew, because he refused to breathe, turned purple, which got him a seven on his APGAR and made my eyes bulge. And Alex was even more dramatic—greeting the world with a tight umbilical cord necklace. He turned the colors of the rainbow as the doctor unwound him and I whispered silent prayers to God above. In the end, we all breathed sighs of relief.

For some reason, God keeps reminding me, He is LORD. He hears my prayers. He puts His name on my lips … and yours too.

The word LORD (all caps in the Bible) represents the Tetragrammaton—YHWH—the holy name for God, which in Hebrew is spelled yodh, heh, vav, heh. We say Yahweh. Some Jewish rabbis however, say it is such a holy name it really can’t be pronounced rather, it is the sound of breathing. These vowels breathed out—yodh, heh, vav, heh—are like our unconscious inhaling and exhaling. The breath of God, our breath, bears His name.


Do we breathe the name of God? I think we do. Our first breath, our last breath and every breath in between bears His signature.

I think back to that difficult night with Ryan. Both of us struggled, and both of us breathed the name of God ... and we still do....


Oh, God! Thank You for being so close, for giving us life—one breath at a time. Amen.

November 25

Hearing Voices


… the sheep hear his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and calls them out.

John 10:3 (NLT)


I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me. I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

Psalm 16:7-8 (NLT)


The Lord is my shepherd….

Psalm 23:1a (NLT)


I don’t like the voices I’m hearing right now. These are the wrong voices—the voices of worry, fear and doubt. Today they stormed my study and began a whirling shouting match in my head.

“What are we going to do?”

“We don’t have this kind of money!”

“You can forget about Christmas!”

I looked at the bills on my desk: the unexpected credit card debt and that huge college tuition bill. The other bad news came last night. That bad knock under the Chrysler’s hood? For $5,500, my mechanic will make it go away.

I know we can cover the college bill, but what about these others? The voices start their angry chorus again, but they don’t fool me. I know they are echoes from a life I’ve left behind. This worrying, a form of reverse meditation, would have me in full retreat.

No. I refuse to hear their negative message. There is a better voice, a strong and cheerful voice calling me. He knows the way. His commanding tone stills my soul, leads me away from the maelstrom and breathes life into my being.


Father, open my ears and my heart to do right before You. Amen.

November 24

Listen ... AND Obey!


What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice?

1 Samuel 15:22 (NLT)


People sometimes say it is better to ask forgiveness than seek permission. How much better to listen to God. How much better to do God’s will and not our own.

This passage highlights King Saul’s disobedience. He heard God's directions but failed to obey. Why? Saul was afraid, weak and, at the worst time, non-confrontational. He didn’t want to ruffle feathers. He went along with the crowd even when it violated a direct command from God. Instead of obeying, Saul rationalized. He figured if he did some of what he was supposed to do, he could dismiss the rest. Bad choice.

You and I face similar challenges. If I go along with the crowd when I know His better path, if I remain quiet when I know the right thing to do is to speak up and take a stand, or if I discount how God has directed me ... I will have repeated Saul’s mistake.

If you and I think we can disobey God’s direct command, we had better count the cost. Saul disobeyed and lost everything. Disobedience is not worth the cost, or as a dear friend of mine once said, "You can't sin and win!"


Father, open my ears and my heart to do what is right before You. Amen.

November 23

Pain’s Proper Focus


God blesses people who endure testing. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

James 1:12 (NLT)


… whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy….

James 1:2 (NLT)


Few people enjoy tests … until after they discover they passed, perhaps with an A or an A+. Then it’s party time! While many of us dislike academic testing, we really hate life’s tests—the aches and pains of poor health, the rough edge of ruined relationships or the gut-wrenching reality of failure. No doubt, the test sometimes hurts. Life hurts, but it also provides us opportunity as we dig deep into our souls and show ourselves and others what’s really in there. Our tests, it seems, are best viewed as opportunities.

The troubles of this world provide us a chance to grow, to show God’s strength and to reveal a beautiful attitude of grace. And something more. The test accelerates our ability to lay up real treasure, and, don't forget, it allows us what we may need most—a wakeup, a nudge to adjust our focus.

While the here and now seems so important ... it will pass. Faith however, focuses on that which endures, and it is the test that brings life to that faith as it reminds us where to focus.


Father—help us to treasure what you treasure. Help us to love Jesus. Amen.