It Only Takes a Breath

We started as dust, mere dust. Then God ... Then God breathed the breath of life and man became a living soul.

Many times that's what our dreams feel like—dust, mere dust. Time and circumstances conspire to ravage our once beautiful aspirations down into the nothingness of dust. Dust that you flick away, step on, and despise. Like Hagar.

Hagar looked at her dying son and saw the end of her dreams. Dust, mere dust. Then she heard God speak, "What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is" (Genesis 21:17). God saw. God spoke. And God breathed life into a dying dream. And out of Hagar's rejected offspring came forth a mighty nation.

While we have no record in Scripture of any words showing us how Rahab perceived herself, by the very nature of her profession, prostitution, we can well surmise the feelings of rejection with which she battled. Ostracized from society, every dream of being a loved and cosseted wife—dust. Every dream of a warm and blessed family—dust. Then God. God breathed the breath of life into those impossible dreams. Despite the oppressive miasma that colored every aspect of her life, Rahab was given the incredible opportunity of helping the children of the Living God. Against formidable obstacles, she did. And in so doing God breathed life into those dreams turned dust. In Matthew 1:5 we read that Salmon, the father of Boaz, married the once despised Rahab. So great was the resurrection of her once mere-dust-dreams that, miraculously, we find the former prostitute-turned-God-fearer in the honored list of the genealogy of Jesus, the Son of God.

Then there was the woman with the issue of blood. Twelve long, grueling years of being shunned by family and friends alike. Twelve long years of longing for the solace of physical touch—a fruitless longing crushed to lowly dust. As her money dwindled in the hands of unproductive physicians, any straggling dreams of family and normal life were reduced to nothing. Then—the breath of God. Jesus stopped and breathed the life-changing words, "Who has touched me?" One touch, one breath of God, and all was restored. In that instant, the disintegration of a wrecked life reversed its decimating trajectory to glorious, healthy verdure.

Dust, mere dust. But one breath from the Master and it becomes glorious life. It is time to let God breathe His divine breath of life into your dreams turned dust. The woman with the issue of blood stretched out her hand to touch the Master. Rahab made the decision to serve the God of Israel. Hagar simply cried and lifted up her voice. There is no set way to seek the touch, the breath of God. There is but one requisite: seek Him. And your dreams will live again.

"Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee ... who passing through the valley of Baca" —a metaphor for life's hardships and suffering—"make it a well" (Psalm 84:5-6).

"And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten ..." (Joel 2:25).