The Story Behind the Song "Breathe"

REGI STONE BEHIND THE STORY OF BREATHE_REVISED by Regi Stone

It was a cold, wintry Wyoming morning in December, and I was comfortable in my favorite chair enjoying a hot cup of coffee. Jeff Ferguson, a co-writer friend, was in town for a few days, and we were discussing the new songs we’d written. He suggested we write one more before heading to the airport. I suggested we just watch the snow fall and enjoy our hot coffee. Nonetheless, we decided to take our coffee to the piano room and write one more. When you start a song, you never know exactly where it will end up. I scrolled through my notes on my phone, and after a few moments landed on February 2015, where I read these words: Breathe, God has you in His hands.

In that moment, my mind was transported to a small, dark room at a church where I was preparing to lead worship. I had slipped into that room because I was overwhelmed with anxiety. It was my first weekend back on the road after suffering a heart attack just three months earlier. I felt like I couldn’t catch my breath. I would have given anything to snap my fingers and be home, under the covers, where it was peaceful and quiet. I needed to talk to someone, so I called a friend. He answered the phone, but I couldn’t find any words to speak. So he said, "Breathe, God has you in His hands." It was exactly what I needed. That reminder got me through the night.

Skip forward to December 2017. Once I had briefly relived that moment, I suggested that it was the hook for a song. So, over the next hour, Jeff and I wrote this simple reminder that God does have us safe in His hands. Before we packed up and drove Jeff to the airport, my wife shot a quick video of us performing our brand new song and posted it up on YouTube and Facebook. We were deluged with comments from people sharing how that song ministered to them and wondering when the finished music might be available to download or use in church. Many of you shared it with friends and family members who needed encouragement for a particularly challenging situation.

In the spring of 2018, I had the privilege of recording this song with some of Nashville's finest singers and musicians. And finally, here in the spring of 2019, it's available to you (click here). In the months in between then and now, the Lord has spoken these very words back to me throughout the challenges of life. Whether it's a financial, family, health, or career issue, I encourage you to take God at His word and just breathe.

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