The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. John 1:9-10.

To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy. Jude 24.

The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV

Even before I read our chapter, 2 Chronicles 26, I thought about windows and how these chapters we read are like windows into the lives of those who have gone before us. And then, this morning in our Prayer Group, a window into closeness with God: Breath Prayer.

How breath prayer? From notes I jotted down: God is the oxygen of our soul…God’s Spirit is nearer than our own breath…We can’t live on one breath of air – we can’t live on one breath of God…Ponder the nearness of God.

Examples of how to do a breath prayer breathing in and then breathing out: Abba…I belong to You.

Lord…Here I am.

Holy One…Keep me true.

Jesus…Have mercy on me.

Jesus, Son of David…Have mercy on me, a sinner.

How we can experience a closeness with God – Father, Son, Spirit – are windows into our need for God who is with us always and can provide a way for us to reconnect with Him that is as close as our next breath and just as life-sustaining.

This chapter today is pretty amazing. Uzziah, king of Judah, was an inventor, a builder, a lover of the soil, a king who understood organization and provision and who was blessed because He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success. v. 5. (In the notes below: 26:23 This was the year that God called Isaiah to be a prophet (Isaiah 6:1).

And then…a window…But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God, and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. v. 16. When the priests whose responsibility it was to offer incense tried to stop Uzziah, he raged at them! Leprosy broke out on his forehead. Not only were the priests anxious to remove him from the temple, but he, himself hurried out. He lived with leprosy in a separate house until his death.

As close as a breath is our need for our Creator God. These windows into others’ lives is important and our window into our relationship with God is the most important window of all. The world did not recognize him…do we? How do we recognize God? We turn to Him and rejoice that our life is in Him and we go forward! Go forward with Him and begin with a breath…Holy Shepherd…guide us to You!