New Year Begins
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and as I begin this year I’m asking God for his breath of His renewed strength.
Breathe on me breath of God; fill me with life anew
That I may love what thou doest love,
and do what thou wouldest do.
I love this time of year. It just leaves me breathless; the Sierra Mountains, north of where Ken and I live are covered in snow. And you should see that flat Mohave Desert all covered in white, stretching far out beyond the front range of the Sierras. It’s glorious! And the cold mountain air when you pull in a deep breath, it almost stings. Like I said, it leaves you breathless; and I tell you something else – it is quiet. Not a stirring the air; not a sound of a car or even the trickling of a brook. You pull your vehicle over on the shoulder of the 395 going north with the desert stretching east and the mountains north and west and it is all so very serene. You roll down your window and it is so still and quiet. With all that huge, thunderous, majestic beauty, mountains are muscling up right off the desert floor and grand thunderheads towering above. You have to get out of your car, take a deep breath and stand before that amazing landscape and feel the quiet; it is awesome.
To me the mountains and the desert that time of year speak of God’s beauty in a remarkable way. Just listen to the prophet in Habakkuk, Chapter 2, verse 20, “Let all the earth keep silence before Him.” The mountains, the desert and even the thunderheads; the power in God’s creation somehow seems so much more commanding when in all of its awesome grand-scale splendor it is completely silent. Let the whole earth keep silence before Him. Like I said, it leaves you a little breathless.
So I’m praying that today you will find time to get outside, even if you have to wrap up warm. You may not be near a desert or near mountains, but take time to find some landscape, a place of quiet; of icicle silence. Maybe a park covered with snow, or the birdfeeder in your backyard all frosty or a tree wearing diamonds in the sunlight. Breathe in the beauty of God’s creation and keep silent before Him. Drive somewhere distant, pull over on the shoulder and get out of the car. Stand and listen to your breath, the most basic and blessed of all gifts that God will bestow on you in this New Year.
Oh, and one more thing, before you do go outside, grab a hymnal off the shelf because you may want to sing or at least quietly repeat the words to this beautiful and timeless hymn “Breathe on me breath of god, fill me with life anew, that I might love what Thou doest love and do what Thou wouldst do”. That’s a silent and very serene way to begin 2018. And so, Happy New Year from all of us at Joni and Friends and it’s our prayer that you will enjoy many long moments of silence and serenity as we head into this busy, noisy new season together.
Music: “Breathe on me, Breath of God” written by Edwin Hatch; Public Domain.
© Joni and Friends
