Daily 5 Minute Breath Prayer

My husband and I, 2009. Photos courtesy of Stephanie Fay Photography.

A battle of the wills is constantly going on in my home.  I have a toddler; so that’s self explanatory.  And a man and woman who are wired completely differently live in the same space, share the same bed, and we all share one bathroom.  I like to just grab the toothpaste in the middle and squeeze, while my husband prefers to roll it from the bottom.  Both methods drive the other crazy.  And on a given day we all have our desires of what we want to do, what we ought to do, and what we have to do.

But the biggest battle comes form within.  The minute that I get space and quiet, I can feel my two wills rising up to argue with one another.  One the one hand, I need to get things done.  I need to work. To clean. To cook.  To call her back. To write them that email.

On the other hand, I can feel the groaning of the Spirit tugging on my heart.  That can wait.  I really can’t explain this feeling, but it’s a pull and sometimes I am so thankful for this, albeit annoyign when I am trying to do what I want to do, because it gets so strong that I must stop and spend some time.  In prayer. In worship. In my Word.  I am forced to set down what I am doing, enjoy the moment, and to embrace what He has for me in that minute.

Before you go thinking that I sit beside my bed, pray for hours and churn my own butter, let me set the record straight.  I am too busy in so many ways.  I have timers to ensure that I am spending enough time with the Lord; so being saintly isn’t the issue here.  It’s out of necessity, for my sanity and so that my family and friends still want to be with me that I have learned to drop what I am doing and take a minute.

Don’t stress yourself out here. There is a time and place for longer times in communion with God, and there are times for shorter ones.  On a daily basis, spend five minutes.  Notice the change in yourself, in your attitude, and in your relationships.  Try to go longer.  Or not.  But commit that five minutes to truly immersing yourself.  As time goes on, and seasons change, you can spend longer time as the Lord calls you to do so.

So let’s do this. Let’s set aside 5 minutes and spend some time with the Lord.  Before your day, in the middle of it, or at the end.  It doesn’t matter.

But here me in this: give yourself grace.  Breathe.  You don’t need to do it all in one day.

Daily 5 Minute Breath Prayer Devotional 

In the book of 1 Thessalonians Paul gives instructions to “pray continuously” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), and while this is an ideal,  to actually pray continually is a hard feat to achieve.  As humans we have needs that need to be met: we need to eat, we need to sleep, we need to breathe.  And, as relational beings who are in friendships, relationships, families, school and work places, we have other tasks which demand our attention: we talk, we sing, we think about the tasks at hand.

However, if Paul tells us that we should pray without ceasing then we absolutely should!  The discipline of Prayer is so important as it opens our minds and hearts to God, and Paul tells us to “pray without ceasing” and to be “joyful always” and “give thanks in all circumstances.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)  This command can be hard when we don’t feel joyful or when we aren’t sure what there is to be happy about.  This command is easier to keep when we are happy or when things are going our way.  However, Jesus is with us always and the book of Acts tells us that in Jesus we “live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28)

Prayer often feels like something we must do in a quiet place, silent, and alone.  It also often feels as though our prayers should be long and involved, and sometimes we don’t have the energy or the words to explain to God how we are feeling.  Praying without ceasing, no matter what the circumstance, reminds us that God is with us, living and present within us.  The discipline of Breath Prayer reminds us to pray to God, just as easily as we remember to breathe.   Below is a list of names or characteristics of God.  Spend a few minutes reading through this list and look for a name of God that you can relate to in this time in your life.  Perhaps you are fearful about a situation so the name of God, “Great Shepherd” stands out to you.  Or maybe you have felt very close to God recently, and so the name “Comforter” is what resonates with you.

Take your time here.  Pray that God would reveal his characteristics and attributes to you as you read through the list. Look up the verses that correspond with the name so that you can better understand why this is a name of God. If none of the names below stand out to you, most Bibles have a concordance in which lists names of God, or reading through the Psalms or the Gospels will give you even more examples of names and characteristics of God.

Names of God

• Advocate - 1 John 2:1
• Almighty - Revelation 1:8
• Alpha - Revelation 1:8
• Amen - Revelation 3:14
• Angel of the Lord - Genesis 16:7
• Anointed One - Psalm 2:2
• Apostle-Hebrews 3:1
• Author and Perfecter of our Faith - Hebrews 12:2
• Beginning - Revelation 21:6
• Bishop of Souls - 1 Peter 2:25
• Branch - Zechariah 3:8
• Bread of Life - John 6:35,48
• Bridegroom - Matthew 9:15
• Carpenter - Mark 6:3
• Chief Shepherd - 1 Peter 5:4
• The Christ - Matthew 1:16
• Comforter - Jeremiah 8:18
• Consolation of Israel - Luke 2:25
• Cornerstone - Ephesians 2:20
• Dayspring - Luke 1:78
• Day Star - 2 Peter 1:19
• Deliverer - Romans 11:26
• Desire of Nations - Haggai 2:7
• Emmanuel - Matthew 1:23
• End - Revelation 21:6
• Everlasting Father - Isaiah 9:6
• Faithful and True Witness - Revelation 3:14
• First Fruits - 1 Corinthians 15:23
• Foundation - Isaiah 28:16
• Fountain - Zechariah 13:1
• Friend of Sinners - Matthew 11:19
• Gate for the Sheep - John 10:7
• Gift of God - 2 Corinthians 9:15
• God - John 1:1
• Glory of God - Isaiah 60:1
• Good Shepherd - John 10:11
• Governor - Matthew 2:6
• Great Shepherd - Hebrews 13:20
• Guide - Psalm 48:14
• Head of the Church - Colossians 1:18
• High Priest - Hebrews 3:1
• Holy One of Israel - Isaiah 41:14
• Horn of Salvation - Luke 1:69
• I Am - Exodus 3:14
• Jehovah - Psalm 83:18
• Jesus - Matthew 1:21
• King of Israel - Matthew 27:42
• King of Kings - 1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 19:16
• Lamb of God - John 1:29
• Last Adam - 1 Corinthians 15:45
• Life - John 11:25
• Light of the World - John 8:12; John 9:5
• Lion of the Tribe of Judah - Revelation 5:5
• Lord of Lords - 1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 19:16
• Master - Matthew 23:8
• Mediator - 1 Timothy 2:5
• Messiah - John 1:41
• Mighty God - Isaiah 9:6
• Morning Star - Revelation 22:16
• Nazarene - Matthew 2:23
• Omega - Revelation 1:8
• Passover Lamb - 1 Corinthians 5:7
• Physician - Matthew 9:12
• Potentate - 1 Timothy 6:15
• Priest - Hebrews 4:15
• Prince of Peace - Isaiah 9:6
• Prophet - Acts 3:22
• Propitiation - I John 2:2
• Purifier - Malachi 3:3
• Rabbi - John 1:49
• Ransom - 1 Timothy 2:6
• Redeemer - Isaiah 41:14
• Refiner - Malachi 3:2
• Refuge - Isaiah 25:4
• Resurrection - John 11:25
• Righteousness - Jeremiah 23:6
• Rock - Deuteronomy 32:4
• Root of David - Revelation 22:16
• Ruler of God’s Creation - Revelation 3:14
• Sacrifice - Ephesians 5:2
• Savior - 2 Samuel 22:47; Luke 1:47
• Second Adam - 1 Corinthians 15:47
• Seed of Abraham - Galatians 3:16
• Seed of David - 2 Timothy 2:8
• Seed of the Woman - Genesis 3:15
• Servant - Isaiah 42:1
• Shepherd - 1 Peter 2:25
• Shiloh - Genesis 49:10
• Son of David - Matthew 15:22
• Son of God - Luke 1:35
• Son of Man - Matthew 18:11
• Son of Mary - Mark 6:3
• Son of the Most High - Luke 1:32
• Stone - Isaiah 28:16
• Sun of Righteousness - Malachi 4:2
• Teacher - Matthew 26:18
• Truth - John 14:6
• Way - John 14:6
• Wonderful Counselor - Isaiah 9:6
• Word - John 1:1
• Vine – John 15:1

What name of God resonates deep within you right now? 

After you choose the name that is meaningful to you, ask yourself “why?”  What desire of your heart does this name reveal in you?  For example, if you chose the name “Great Shepherd” it might be because you need guidance about an upcoming decision so your desire would be “guide me.”  Or, if you chose the name “Comforter”, maybe it’s because you feel His Fatherly protection around you and so the desire might be, “I am yours.”

These two simple statements is what makes up your breath prayer:  Name of God + Desire of your heart = breath prayer

Spiritual Exercises

• Practice this prayer by saying the name of God slowly as your inhale deeply, and then saying the desire of your heart as you exhale.  Do this many times until you find a rhythm doing it, just as natural as your breath.

• Now, make a list of times in your day or situations in your life that you can use the discipline of Breath Prayer as a reminder of God’s presence within you.  Then, think about a specific situation that causes you stress, joy, fear, excitement or any other strong emotion, and find a breath prayer that would be perfect for that setting.  Write it down, and have it ready in your heart and mind before you enter into that situation, reminding yourself to pray through it.