“The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”
(Job 33:4)
Contrary to the proponents of deism, God did not create the universe and then leave it alone. He continues to be actively at work in His world, intimately involved with you and with me. We are all familiar with the creation account, which tells us that God made Adam and “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,” (Gen. 2:7). But what we may have overlooked is that Job 33:4 says the same Spirit of God also made you and me… and breathes life into each one of us as well!
Consider how beautifully consistent this verse in Job is with other passages which tell us that God is spirit (John 4:24), and that He is the giver of life (1 Tim. 6:13, Job 10:12). In fact, the very term spirit means “breath of life.”
The life-breathing Spirit of God is not only the source of all life, He is its sustainer. “He gives to all, life and breath and all things” (Acts 17:25), to every man, woman, boy, and girl, as well as every living thing in the whole of creation—plants, beasts, and fish in the sea.
All the powers in heaven and earth together are not sufficient to give life. The triune God alone possesses self-generating life. As Christopher Love put it, “He is the living God, as having life originally in Himself.”[1] The Father and the Son have life in themselves, John 5:26, “For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself.”
God chose to share His life with us in the form of His Son – as the “image of the invisible God” who “was made flesh and dwelt among us.” Christ descended to this sin-ridden world so that we might see the living God and experience His life—not just life as we know it, but abundant life at the point when the Holy Spirit of God is again at work, intimately and actively breathing everlasting life into the believer’s soul!
“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)
Contemplations:
- The Breath of God in Me. The same God who formed Adam from the dust and breathed life into his nostrils has also breathed life into me. Every breath I take is sustained by His will, and yet, how often do I forget this? Life is not mine to command; it is a gift given by the Spirit of God. Do I live with gratitude for each moment of life, recognizing that He alone sustains my being?
- Life in Christ Alone. The world offers many substitutes for true life—pleasure, success, wealth—but none can truly satisfy. Jesus declared that He came to give abundant life, not merely existence. He alone is the wellspring of life, the One who quenches the soul’s deepest thirst. Am I seeking life where it cannot be found, or am I running to Christ, the only true source of life and fullness?
- Sustained by the Spirit. Every living thing, from the mightiest beast to the smallest insect, is sustained by the Spirit of God. Nothing continues in existence apart from His will. And yet, if God upholds all creation, how much more does He care for me? When fears arise, when uncertainty troubles my mind, may I rest in the knowledge that He who gives me life will also sustain me.
- From Death to Life. Sin has brought death into the world, and apart from Christ, my soul would remain dead in trespasses and sins. But through His resurrection, Christ swallowed up death in victory. He is the One who quickens the dead and breathes life into dry bones. Do I cherish the new life He has given me? Am I living in the reality of His resurrection power each day?
Prayer:
O Life-Giving God, from whom all life flows, I bow before You in awe of Your power. You are the source of all life, the One who spoke creation into existence, and by Your Spirit, You give breath to every living thing. Your Word declares, “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life” (Job 33:4). You are the wellspring of all existence, the One who alone has life in Himself. Who am I, O Lord, that You should sustain my breath, that You should number my days with such care?
Merciful Father, I confess that I often take life for granted, as if it were my own to control. I rise each morning without a thought that it is You who sustains me. I eat, drink, and labor as if my strength were my own. How foolish I am to forget that apart from You, I am nothing. Forgive my self-sufficiency, my failure to acknowledge that every breath is given by Your will. Forgive me for the times I have sought life outside of You, chasing after the fleeting pleasures of the world instead of drinking deeply from the fountain of Christ.
I thank You, Lord, for the breath in my lungs, for the beating of my heart, for the life You have so graciously given. I thank You for the greater life found in Christ, for the eternal life purchased by His blood, and for the Spirit who indwells me and renews me day by day. You have not only given me life, but You have called me to abundant life—to know You, to walk with You, and to glorify You in all I do.
Lord, teach me to number my days that I may apply my heart to wisdom. Keep me from wasting this life on that which perishes. Draw me ever closer to Christ, that I may drink deeply from His fullness and live with purpose and devotion. Help me, by Your Spirit, to walk in newness of life, forsaking sin and clinging to righteousness. Breathe upon me afresh, O Lord, that I may be filled with the vitality of Your Spirit, quickened to love and serve You with all my being.
Let my life be a testimony to Your sustaining power. When I grow weary, remind me that You uphold me. When I feel empty, remind me that You fill me. And when I face the final hour of this life, let me rest in the confidence that the same God who gave me breath will also raise me up to eternal life in Christ Jesus. In You alone, Lord, is life everlasting, and in Your presence is fullness of joy. Keep me ever near You, the Lord and Giver of life. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Further References for Job 33:4
Gen. 2:7; Job 32:8, 27:3, 12:10; Num. 16:22; Ps. 8:5, 33:6.
[1] Christopher Love, The Natural Man’s Case Stated, (Crossville, TN: Puritan Publications, 2025) 24.
