Ruach: The Hebrew word for breath.

I spent my childhood vacations camping on an island in the middle of the Mississippi river and I grew up in Michigan from the time I was a teenager. So, I have been lucky enough to spend time on the shores of the Mississippi as well as lake Michigan. My soul is at its most peaceful when my toes are in the sand next to a body of water.

Very recently we were on vacation recently in the Dominican Republic. It was a wonderful time of relaxation and peace while we spent time walking along the beach under sunlight as well as moonlight. During the whole time we were there the sound of the ocean, the sound of the wind moving in the palm trees and over the water was rumbling in the background. It never got quiet. The wind and the ocean were never at rest.

From my experience both Lake Michigan and the Mississippi river rested at night. As a matter of fact, when the earth turned away from the sun the calm, quiet water glistened under the light of the moon. The sound of the ocean constantly rumbling was not something I had experienced before, especially at night.

On the first night of our return a thunderstorm was brewing. It was unseasonably warm during the evening hours and into the morning. We decided to keep the windows open for the night and enjoy the fresh air.

I had awoken for some reason. While I lay there, I listened to the sounds of the evening hoping to get back to deep sleep. For the most part it was a quiet evening outside accept a few cars could be heard coming down our road.

I could hear a sound off in the distance. I thought I had unconsciously kept the sounds of the rumbling ocean in my head. I thought that’s what I was hearing even though we were hundreds of miles away from an ocean or any body of water for that matter.

It took me a minute to decipher the sound as the wind moving through the trees ahead of the coming thunderstorm. I could hear the light breeze, almost none at all, in the distance and then a quiet roar as the wind moved over the trees closer to the house.

I kept going back to the sound of the distant roar of the ocean until I realized that it was the sound of the wind moving over creation. Both over the water and among the trees. Both were Ruach, the Spirit of the living God.

In the ancient Hebrew text God is known as wind, Ruach. The spirit of God (Ruach Elohim) moved over all the formless creation.

God loved us into being and breathed life into all of creation. The breath of God moves among us, within us. If we listen, hear the spirit in our hearts, we can hear Ruach, the breath of God calling to us.

When we are at rest, at peace in our hearts, we can hear the breath of God moving within us. God’s voice is like the constant roar of the ocean and the quiet wind in the distance.

Sometimes we can hear God speaking to us. Sometimes we can barely hear the whisper of God far off in the distance. Sometimes it takes resting in a deep sleep to heart the voice, Ruach, of God moving in our lives.

May we find quiet times in our lives to sit and be still to hear the voice of God moving, brooding, breathing, among all of creation. May we find quiet times to breathe; to let the Spirit of God fill our lungs and fill our spirit.  

Quiet down.

Listen.

It may be a whisper at times.

It may be a roar.

Ruach, the wind, the Divine voice is constant.

Even if we are hard of hearing at times.

The Spirit of the living, loving God never ceases to be on the move among us, within us.

Asé