I was sitting in a place so stunningly beautiful that I had to pinch myself to make sure it was real. My husband and I had left the kids at summer camp and hopped on a plane to the Caribbean for our twentieth anniversary. It was a big milestone for us—two decades of marriage! After all the planning, saving, and a very terrifying taxi ride on the wrong side of the road, we had finally arrived.

As I stepped out onto our balcony, the teal water and lush green vegetation took my breath away. It was simply stunning, and in that moment, I felt what you would expect to feel, but I also felt something that surprised me. Behind the initial awe and excitement was a tug of tension and discontentment. What in the world? I was in paradise with just my husband for an entire week!

The next morning, I still felt some of that tension, so I slipped out onto our sun-filled balcony to sit with God for a few minutes. As I prayed, reflected on Scripture, and sat in the stillness, a breath prayer came to mind. Breath prayers are rather new to me, but with practice and time, they're becoming a natural rhythm in my prayer life. Instead of the long-winded prayers and lists I usually bring before God, a breath prayer is a simple, short prayer that aligns with a breath in and a breath out.

From a physical standpoint, taking a deep breath activates our parasympathetic nervous system and can have a powerful effect on our bodies. It can lower cortisol levels and bring us into a calmer state. When we combine a deep breath with prayer, especially prayer based on God’s Word, it can be profound.

One way to create a breath prayer is to pray a Name or characteristic of God while you inhale. Then, on the exhale, you pray for your need or offer thanks. For me that morning, the prayer “Generous God, give me what I need” surfaced.

As the week went on, every time I felt tension rise within me, I would take a breath and pray, “Generous God (inhale), give me what I need (exhale).” Slowly, the feeling of discontentment became less and less as I realized and proclaimed the truth of who God is and how He sees me.

This breath prayer allowed me to let go of the control I was feeling—the need to make every part of this trip, along with every part of my everyday life, perfect. When I was able to let go and rest in the fact that God is truly in control of every part of my life, I was reminded that He knows and loves me, and He really is a good and generous God.  “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” (Psalm 145:18)

You are invited to join Nicki and her husband, Pastor Paul, on their next travel adventure to Israel, the homeland of Jesus. For more information, check out Alliance Church’s Bible Tours and Trips.