Are you a Christian believer who suffers from anxiety? One could argue that if you feel no anxiety, you may not be paying attention because our world is NOT as it should be! Or perhaps you are experiencing a particularly stressful season of life right now. If so, breath prayer may be the answer you seek to calm your anxious thoughts throughout the day and feel a deeper connection to God. But what are they exactly and how do you use them?

What are Breath Prayers?

• Short prayers, synced to your breath, repeated throughout your day

They were first described in an Orthodox Christian source called The Way of a Pilgrim, published anonymously in the nineteenth century. The book was about one pilgrim’s journey to understand the teaching of the Apostle Paul to “pray without ceasing.” It contains an example of a breath prayer that is called the “Jesus Prayer,” which combines two separate passages from the gospel of Luke.

Inhale: Jesus, son of David

Exhale: have mercy on me, a sinner.

So the two essentials for breath prayer that are they are short enough to combine with each breath and are based on scripture.

This leaves lots of options! Books have been written with suggestions and examples.

One of them I like is Breath as Prayer by Jennifer Tucker.

I have a free resource that can help you choose meaningful breath prayers. Click here to download it now:

25 of God’s Promises: Who You Are in Christ.

I’d like to show you how easy it is to turn any of these biblical promises into a breath prayer.

Method #1: The first and simplest way is to change them into an “I Am” statement.

Breathe in: I Am

Breathe out: whichever promise of God you choose to focus on.

For example, the second promise in my list of 25 is that God promises to forgive your past mistakes. 1 John 1: 9 reads "But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness."

So if you choose to make this promise your focus, you might pray…

Breathe in: I Am

Breathe out: Forgiven of my sins

Method #2 - Traditional Method:

Following the traditional method as in “The Jesus Prayer” is the second way. One of my favorite Christian authors, Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, discusses this method in her book, the Spiritual Disciplines Handbook. In it, she writes, "...ponder the nearness of God. Settle deeply into the truth that Christ is in you. Deeply breathe in, repeating any name of God that is dear to you ... As you ehale, voice a deep desire of your heart. When you exhale, offer up the desire of your heart."

So, another of the 25 Promises of God is “You are empowered by the almighty God." Ephesians 1: 19-20 reads, "I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms." If you are feeling weak or hopeless, this might be the perfect Breath Prayer for you:

Breathe in: Almighty God

Breathe out: Fill me with your awesome power.

Method #3 - Short phrases of scriptural truths:

Sometimes, this method may be the most natural. For example, another one of the 25 Promises of God is God promises that nothing can separate you from his love. Romans 8: 38-39 reads "For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Just reduce that down to its essential truth. Ponder what God wishes for you to understand by this scripture. It might be something like:

Breathe in: Nothing can separate me

Breathe out: From Your Love

The key to using Breath Prayers effectively to help your anxious heart is:

1. pick one that resonates with you,
2. decide on the best and simplest wording that addresses what you need,
3. repeat it several times a day as you breathe slowly and purposefully.

You probably already know that just slowing down and concentrating on your breathing goes a long way toward calming your nervous system.

Imagine how much more powerful it is to use your breathing as you ponder God’s love and support for you through His word! God wants to answer your prayers, so don’t be afraid to ask them.

Download your free copy of 25 of God’s Promises: Who You Are in Christ and use them to help you form your own breath prayers.

Those are the three ways to easily turn any meaningful scripture verse into a breath prayer:

1. Change the verse into an “I Am” statement, inhaling on I am and exhaling the rest of the prayer
2. Use any meaningful Name of God as you inhale, and exhale the desire of your heart contained in the scripture, or
3. Distill the scripture down to what it essentially means and break its truth into two short phrases.

Once you find one that works for you and helps you feel the nearness of God, stick with it for a while. Give it a chance to sink into your soul and lead to lasting positive change.

If you are interested in learning more about biblical positive affirmations and other ways to use them every day, check out my previous blog here: Biblical Affirmations for Self-esteem: New Age or Christian?