Breathe Again!

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord

Forever. Psalm 23: 6b

Do you remember playing with your friends to see who could hold their breath the longest when you were a child? What a silly competition. I still play it with my kids whenever we are in a swimming pool. We get in there, plug our noses, go down and wait until one of us…inevitably…as inconspicuously as possible, begins his/her trek back to the surface. The two of us that remain, watch expectantly, chlorine pocking needles into our eyes, for the moment when we can at least claim we were not the losers. Then, when we can’t hold it anymore, we burst out of the water with a loud splash as we let out the old air that had been getting stale into our lungs and gulp fresh, delicious, life-giving, oxygen-filled new air to be able to breathe again. Then, of course, the argument begins as to who lasted the longest…which is never defined unless we try again, and then again, and a few more times until we get bored….

Well, when I read the last verse of Psalm 23rd is like I’ve been holding my breath for a long time…watching expectantly…then… these words come to me, signaling the moment when my head finally bursts out of the water, allowing me to exhale the staleness and toxicity that had accumulated over the time I’ve kept it beneath the surface, to finally be able to take a deep, renewing, deliciously reviving gulp of fresh air.

I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever… aahhhhh….

The Spanish version that I remember translates “forever” as: “por años sin término.” I love that imagery… “for years without end…” And that’s why I feel renewed when I read the last words of this beloved Psalm… because the idea of spending years without end in the House of the Lord surely sounds magnificent! It sounds glorious, especially after spending what seemingly felt like years without end under water, unable to breathe in the joy of God’s presence to the fullest, unable to clearly see Him through my chlorine-blurred eyes…

Praise You, Lord, for this wonderful promise. Please allow us to find comfort in it until the day comes when we finally dwell in your house forever!