Breath of Heaven

¹⁹ From the west,^s people will fear the name of the Lord,

and from the rising of the sun,^t they will revere his glory.^u

For he will come like a pent-up flood

that the breath^v of the Lord drives along.^{a [1]} Isaiah 59:19 NIV

Recently I have become reacquainted with the beauty of the Hebrew language. So much of this language is based upon word pictures and symbols. It is as though each word conveys emotion and experience, not just information. Isaiah gives us an emotional perspective of God showing up as one who guides the flood-tides by His breath. The image of crashing ocean waves is what comes to mind for me.

The question of WHY or SO WHAT is valid at this point. One textual rendering of this verse allows for the breath of God driving our enemies away from us. All of a sudden, the power of God (pent-up flood…) showing up to fight against our enemies now means something more than mere crashing waves.

When the “breath of Heaven” motif is brought into first century Christianity we see two distinct places where this shows up; the dove descending at Jesus’ baptism and the day of Pentecost. In both illustrations we see the Holy Spirit tearing open the heavens and swooping down upon Jesus, identifying him as the Messiah. We then see the Holy Spirit tearing open Heaven again and coming down upon the upper room congregation. Both illustrations demonstrate the breath of heaven showing up with purpose and power.

What does this mean for me personally today? A determined Spirit is accessible at a time that I need Him most. TODAY is a good day for His breath!

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^s See Isa 49:12; See Mt 8:11

^t See Ps 113:3

^u Ps 97:6; See Isa 24:15; 35:2; 40:5; 52:10; 66:18

^v See Isa 11:4

^a Or When enemies come in like a flood, / the Spirit of the Lord will put them to flight

^[1] The New International Version. (2011). (Is 59:19). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.