Breathing the breath

At our contemporary worship on Sunday morning, I was caught off guard by a song during the offertory.  It is a beloved one in our house, by Matt Redman.  If you've never heard it, I encourage you to look it up on youtube and listen.  Matt Redman is one of our favorite Christian artists, and if you don't know of him already, get thee to itunes and check him out.  You can thank me later.  Here are the lyrics:

We have nothing to give
That didn't first come from Your hands
We have nothing to offer You
Which You did not provide
Every good, perfect gift comes from
Your kind and gracious heart
And all we do is give back to You
What always has been Yours
Lord, we're breathing the breath
That You gave us to breathe
To worship You, to worship You
And we're singing these songs
With the very same breath
To worship You, to worship You
Who has given to You
That it should be paid back to him?
Who has given to You
As if You needed anything?
From You, and to You, and through You
Come all things, O Lord
And all we do is give back to You
What always has been Yours
We are breathing the breath
That You gave us to breathe

This song was our breath 9 years ago.  When our third son was born, not breathing and later rushed to the children's hospital three hours away, breath and the gift of it had never been more  significant to us.  As we watched his little chest respond to the machine breathing for him, we prayed this song.  In the car on the way to the hospital, we played it.  God, thank you - for this child and for everything we have and are - all are simply gifts from you.  We have nothing that didn't first come from you!

And oh how it comforted!  This precious baby was a gift from God; ours for awhile, His for eternity.  Every breath we take is a gift from Him.

So back to the present . . . we haven't sung this song in worship in many years and I was somewhat surprised by my reaction to it.  I had my arm around my boy (who loves to hug and lean in during worship anyway), my eyes closed, and my heart and voice praying these words.  Tears were on my cheeks as I recalled those days, and another day a few months later.  We reaffirmed our little baby's baptism (my husband had already baptized him the day he was born) in that very place and we had sung this very song.  I recall so vividly exactly where we sat for that service, and I also remember clearly holding my little baby, hooked up still to tubes and monitors tucked into the stroller.  I swayed him, as I always do with my babies, as I sang this same song, thanking God for the breath and life He had given this child in my arms.  Just as I did this past Sunday - held my arm around this boy who is almost as tall as I am, leaning in and loving me.  All those breaths we have taken since he was born. . .each a beautiful gift from our Maker.

Every good, perfect gift comes from Your kind and gracious heart, and all we do is give back to you what always has been Yours.