Have you ever been swimming and stayed under water a little too long? There is a degree of panic as you swim frantically back to the surface to get some oxygen. (I even cringe watching movie scenes that depict someone desperately trying to get back to the surface for air.) We have to come up to breathe!
How about being down a long time spiritually and feeling like you need to come up to Jesus to breathe? Sometimes it is a non-Christian searching for the Lord. They feel like they have been struggling and drowning in their miserable lifestyle and are sooooo refreshed when they are reborn into Christ. It’s like coming up to breathe new life – real life.
This same thing can happen to Christians. They get off track and go down in their intensity with the Lord. The next thing you know it looks like a long way back to the (spiritual) surface. They are at the bottom of the barrel and need to come up to His grace and mercy to breathe.
I love Hebrews 4:14-16. Jesus knows we have weaknesses. He knows the devil is deceiving and sucker punches the spiritual wind out of us. Knowing we have weaknesses, Jesus grants us mercy and grace we come up to breathe.
Read Hebrews 4:14-16 two or three times. (I would recommend memorizing it for safe keeping in your heart.) Then listen to by MercyMe. Then breathe baby, breathe!
Hebrews 4:14-16
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let’s hold firmly to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.