The Bible is extraordinary among all other books. The word Bible means “the Book.” The Bible is called “the Book” because it is the greatest book. The Bible is extraordinary because it is entirely God-breathed (2 Tim. 3:16). In other words, the whole Bible is simply God’s breath. The Bible was not written according to the human mentality or human logic; rather, every sentence and every word of the Bible was breathed out from God.
The Bible is the divine revelation; however, the basic element of the Bible is not the divine revelation but the divine breath. The divine breath is the nature and element of the divine revelation. Therefore, whenever we come to the Bible, we enter into God’s breath and even God’s breathing. This is not merely a theory; it has been experienced by many believers. When we come to a textbook or a secular magazine, we will never have the sensation of God’s presence. However, whenever we come to the Bible, it leads us into the presence of God. As believers, we can all testify that every time we contact the Bible, we are in the presence of God. Whenever we come to the Bible, we immediately have the sensation that we have come into God’s presence.
We may sometimes wonder where God’s presence is and how we can enter into God’s presence. When I was young, I heard that God’s presence was in my heart. However, often when we turn to our heart, we do not meet God there but instead find something else. Many times when I turned to my heart, I was troubled by something in my heart. Hence, to turn to our heart is not the best way to meet God. God’s presence is always in the Bible. Whenever we come to the Bible, we find God.
That God’s presence accompanies the Bible is logical. One’s breath is always near one’s face. When we come into a person’s breath, we come into that person’s presence. Because the Bible is God’s breath, God’s presence always accompanies it, for His presence is always with His breath. God is mysterious, universal, and eternal, but we can find His breath in the Bible, for the Bible is His breath. We need to realize that the Bible we hold is simply God’s breath and that where God’s breath is, there His presence is. Whenever we come to the Bible, we should have the assurance that we are entering into God’s presence.
The unique way to receive God’s breath is to come to the Bible, for the Bible is His breath. The Bible is not only God’s breath but also God’s breathing. There is a difference between one’s breath and one’s breathing. Breath may be objective and in the past, but breathing is subjective and in the present. God is breathing in His word. Therefore, whenever we come to the Bible, we come into God’s breathing.
Many believers are concerned that after they read a portion of the Bible, they do not remember the verses they have read. As a result, some even doubt whether they truly need to read the Bible. However, because the Bible is God’s breathing, it is like the air that we breathe. When we breathe in fresh air, we do not remember the air. We daily need to be refreshed by breathing in God’s word. When we rise up each morning, we should come to the word to come into God’s fresh and refreshing breathing. We do not need to remember what we read. We need to come to the word simply to receive the breathing.
We do not need to memorize verses in the morning. Rather than exhausting ourselves by trying to memorize, we should simply read and pray-read a few verses. It is unhealthy to exert a great effort while eating or breathing. The best way to eat is to take the food effortlessly. Those who practice deep breathing do it peacefully. When we come to the Bible, we should be at ease because we are coming into the presence of God not to work but to enjoy and be refreshed by His breathing. This is my experience.
The Bible tells us that God’s word is not only the breath of God but also water (Eph. 5:26). Water is used in the Bible in a positive sense and also in a negative sense. Negatively, water sometimes signifies death (Gen. 1:2; Exo. 14:21; Matt. 3:16; John 2:7). Positively, water sometimes signifies a flowing supply of life (Exo. 17:6; Jer. 2:13a; John 4:14; 19:34; Rev. 22:1). Water also signifies cleansing (Lev. 14:52; John 13:5). Water not only supplies but also washes. Ephesians 5:26 says, “That He might sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing of the water in the word.” There is water in the word that washes us. The word is water that washes us.
In Shanghai a sister once said to Brother Watchman Nee, “I read the Bible diligently, but after many times of reading, it seems that nothing remains within me. I forget everything that I read. Since I cannot remember what I read, is it still necessary for me to read?” Brother Nee answered her by using the following illustration. In the countryside in China the women wash rice in baskets made of willow branches. These baskets serve as strainers. The women fill the basket of rice with water, and all the water passes through the rice and the basket. Regardless of how much water they add to the basket, eventually not one drop will stay in the basket. The water simply comes and goes, passing through, and no water remains. Brother Nee pointed out that after water passes through the basket many times, both the rice and the basket are washed. Brother Nee said that we are like the basket. We need to allow the water of the word to pass through us again and again. Perhaps nothing of the word will remain, but neither will any dirt remain. If for one week we come to the Word for at least ten minutes each morning and allow the water of the word to pass through our being, we will be made clean. However, if no water of the word comes and goes in our being, after one week we will be quite dirty. Whether or not we come to the Word makes a real difference in our Christian life.
When we come to the Word, we come into God’s breathing and are refreshed. When we come to the Word, we are also washed and cleansed as the divine water of the word passes through us again and again. It may seem that we remember nothing and receive no help, but something negative will be washed away from us. We saw in the previous chapter that the word nourishes us (Matt. 4:4). In this chapter we have seen that the word also refreshes and washes us. Whenever we come to the Bible, we are refreshed by coming into God’s breathing. When we read through the Word again and again, we receive an inward cleansing. Just as our physical body needs to be washed every morning, so our inner man needs to be washed morning by morning by coming to the Word.