Did you know this about God’s name?

Before we begin talking about anxiety, would you simply take a deep breath? Trust me on this. Just breathe in and breathe out, in and out.

A couple of Sunday mornings ago, a young lady approached me after the service. She was having a full-blown panic attack. Severe anxiety had stolen her ability to breathe. As I talked with her and prayed with her, I just kept saying, "Breathe with me, in and out, in and out."

That moment took me back to a place where I had to deal with my own anxiety. I remember my wife, Laurel, telling me, "Grant, when you're stressed, you hold your breath." This made me conscious of something. I don't believe God wants any of us to come to a place where we're so anxious that we can't breathe!

Isn't it amazing that God would weave an antidote for anxiety into His very name?

Did you know that one of the Old Testament names of God was so holy that God's chosen people would not say it aloud? It was just too sacred. I love that they had so much respect for the name of God that they would not say it, but they would breathe it!

Did you know that the consonants used in the spelling of the sacred name, YAHWEH, are, in fact, the only consonants that, when correctly pronounced, do not allow you to use your tongue or close your lips? In fact, we know that the pronunciation of the sacred name was an attempt to actually imitate your breath. It was a picture of inhalation and exhalation.

Would you try it with me? Inhale the "Yah" and exhale the "weh." Again, inhale "Yah" and exhale the "weh." You can do all of this without moving your lips or using your tongue. It's all in your breath.

Isn't it amazing that Jesus is the breath of life… And just breathing His name can downgrade our anxiety?!

October is Mental Health Awareness Month, so over the next few weeks, I'm going to bring attention to two topics that I know far too well: anxiety and depression.

I have no idea what's making you anxious today, but I do know that you can breathe. And as you breathe, I want to remind you that you're not in charge of whether or not you're actually breathing! God is. God is the giver of every breath. So, breathing His name is a reminder to us that He is all-powerful, all-holy, all-knowing, all-present, and all-calming. He is the breath of life.

Think about this truth: your first breath as a baby was you saying God's name, and your final breath as a dying man or woman will be you saying the name of God.

If you breathe the name of God at the beginning of your life, and you breathe the name of God at the end of your life, doesn't it seem fitting that you would say yes to God everywhere in between?

As you continue to breathe, I want to encourage you to think about what it says in Job: "The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life." (Job 33:4, NIV)

So breathe and never forget, my friend. You are a miracle.

You are a miracle!