Breath of Heaven

When you stop to think about it, it’s incredible. Unthinkable, really. When we were trapped in a dungeon of our own making, God saw fit to bend low and pass a note through the prison bars. He used words we could understand, wrapped in human experience and the universal language of story, to show us the way to freedom.

This “note” is the Bible, the only book in the world that was breathed out by God. That means it’s the only book that holds divine authority. We are meant to take the words of Scripture with all the weight of heaven. We would be fools to brush aside what we don’t like, to simply disregard what doesn’t line up with our own way of thinking in the moment. And yet, sadly, that’s what many people do when they crack open their Bibles. To use our prison analogy, it’s like opening up the note we’ve been given to discover it’s a signed and sealed pardon from the governor—and then proceeding to use it as toilet paper.

Scripture shows us the way to salvation, but it also shapes us into people who more perfectly reflect the image of God with our lives. In short, God breathed out his Word so we could breathe it in, each and every day, and by breathing in the air of heaven, we might live as heavenly men and women here on earth.

A person could spend ten lifetimes studying Scripture, and it would still not be enough time to explore all of the divine mysteries contained in God’s Word. And yet, the through line of the Bible—God’s great love for sinners—is simple enough for a small child to grasp. At times, Scripture peels back the veil between heaven and earth, revealing eternal secrets otherwise unknowable. At others, it delivers insight into the human soul, allowing us to see the depths of our great need under the curse of sin. But mostly, the Bible is God’s story, and his beautiful heart can be seen on every page.

Spend time soaking in the Scriptures, and you’ll begin to taste a bit of heaven on your tongue. God is good, and his ways lead to love and joy and the true shalom of the kingdom—the perfect peace and wholeness that is your inheritance as a child of the King.

Father, reveal your heart to me as I read your Word so I might fall more deeply in love with you.