March 4, 2025

　　Just Breathe

　　LAUREN MITCHELL, COMPEL PRO MEMBER

　　Lee en español

　　“but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:2 (ESV)

　　If you Google “meditation,” you will find simple instructions:

　　Breathe in. Breathe out. Repeat.

　　It’s not rocket science. It’s basically paying attention to your breath.

　　Some people use meditation as a way to focus on themselves or spiritual ideas that aren’t biblical, which has given it a negative connotation. But these are God’s instructions for meditation:

　　“Blessed is the man … [whose] delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:1-2, ESV).

　　I can meditate on my thoughts, or I can focus on God’s thoughts. It’s a choice I can consciously make every day by paying attention.

　　I find that if I just try to clear my head or empty out my thoughts, they can creep back in. My thoughts often lead me to look at my failures and all the ways tomorrow may go awry. I have to work to train my thoughts to think the way God says I should — and meditation on His Word is the way to do this.

　　As 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us, “all Scripture is breathed out by God” to grow us spiritually (ESV). So I can breathe out my thoughts and breathe in God’s thoughts for me and about me.

　　God’s breath is what created us. If you carefully read the Genesis 1-2 account, you will see that God created all things by the exhaled word of His mouth, and He leaned down and breathed life into humankind. God’s breath also continues to sustain us. Scripture is breathed out by God for us to inhale. It makes us complete and equips us.

　　But instead of looking at God’s Word as our lifeline, our breath, we tend to listen first to the world. When we aren’t paying attention, we accept lies and breathe them in.

　　I want to exhale all the unbelief that causes me anxiety and leads me to sin, and I want to take deep, long inhales of God’s Truth that leaves me both peaceful and powerful. I want to breathe out all the poisonous air and make more room for the Holy Spirit with my belief.

　　So I am practicing purposeful meditation on God’s Word day and night, over and over, breath by breath. It’s especially helpful to open and close the day with God. His Word gets us started in the right direction and then ends our day with both course-correction and assurance of continual grace.

　　Breathe out: What if?

　　Breathe in: God will perfect what concerns me (Psalm 138:8, KJV).

　　Breathe out: I can’t do this.

　　Breathe in: God will give me the strength to do what pleases Him (Philippians 4:13).

　　Father, help me breathe in belief in You and Your Word, and help me exhale unbelief and the lies that prey on my mind and heart. Help me hold fast to the Truth as I walk through this day, and strengthen me each time I choose to breathe it in. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

　　OUR FAVORITE THINGSIf this idea of meditating on God’s Word day and night intrigues you, check out Lauren Mitchell’s new study on prayer: Steadfast through Psalms: Becoming a Woman after God’s Own Heart. It will lead your heart to rely on God, morning and night, with scriptures and invitations to practice prayer journaling. This study goes through the psalms of David as a guide to prayer.

　　ENGAGEIf you’d like more encouragement from Lauren, you can visit her website for resources and even subscribe to her blog so you don’t miss a thing.

　　FOR DEEPER STUDYJoshua 1:8, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (NIV).

　　Psalm 119:15-16, “I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word” (ESV).

　　How can you meditate on God’s Word to keep from becoming forgetful? How do you think this practice can help you live more carefully and make your way prosperous and successful? Share in the comments!

　　© 2025 by Lauren Mitchell. All rights reserved.

　　Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Ridofranz

　　Proverbs 31 Ministries

　　P.O. Box 3189

　　Matthews, NC 28106

　　www.Proverbs31.org