Dum spiro, spero. A Latin proverb meaning, “While I breathe, I hope.” From spiro (I breathe), we get words like inspire (to infuse into the mind). From spero (I hope), we get words like despair (the state of being without hope). I’ve always liked the proverb, but I don’t think this is the whole story for believers. As followers of Jesus, we worship the Living God. While He is breathing life into us, we have hope, and he’s always breathing life into us. In fact, it’s Jesus' death on the cross and ultimate resurrection that is the basis for our hope.

I do, however, love the association of breathing and hoping. The association is captured in the Hebrew word ruach, which means “wind,” “breath,” or “spirit.” You can find mention of God’s ruach all over the Hebrew bible. It’s on page one when “The Spirit of God [Ruach Elohim] was hovering over the waters” (Genesis 1:2). It’s a through line all the way into the New Testament when, at Jesus' baptistm, Spirit of God descends and rests upon Him “like a dove” (Matthew 3:16). This was foretold in Isaiah 11:2:

And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

Praise God! We still sing about this today:

Breathe on me, Breath of God,
fill me with life anew,
that I may love the way you love,
and do what you would do.

Living God, thank you for breathing life into us. While you breathe, we will place our hope in you. AMEM.