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By William Van Zyl
Published on 1 March 1, 2026
Harrison Okene sits trapped in the hull of a sunken tugboat — the Jascon 5 — after a rogue wave flipped it upside down off the coast of Nigeria. The vessel is fully sunken. It slowly bobs nearly 30 meters beneath the ocean’s surface, almost touching the ocean floor. Okene’s air pocket is shrinking by the minute. CO2 is about to take over. The Carbon Dioxide thickens the air. His lungs burn. Every inhale is a fight; every exhale feels like surrender.
“Yah…” as he breathes in.
“Weh…” as he breathes out
“God help me. Jesus, please send someone to rescue me.”
Then — a sound. A metallic clank against the hull.
He places his ear against the cold, dead metal hull. The three small parrot fish stare at him. He is buried in a metal-tomb-aquarium.
He waited anxiously, following every faint sound.
Ten minutes later, suddenly, a frogman breaks into his stale air bubble. Okene’s eyes are large, like white ceramic saucers in his head.
He knows instinctively that to survive, he has to remain.
The diver returns. He is fitted with scuba gear, undergoes decompression, and is finally reunited with his family.
“Bless those divers,” he said, “but most of all, praise the Name of Jesus who sent someone to rescue me.”
Breath.
Rescue.
Name.
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These events are based on the true story of Harrison Okene, who was rescued on day three.
IMAGE: Harrison Okene. Credit: The Guardian. Article by Paula Cocozza
IMAGE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO: The moment the South African Divers reached Harrison Oken, who has been praying for a miracle. The divers’ headlamps lit up the dark, small chamber where he was trapped. Like a Diving Bell Spider, Okene waits in his bubble to be saved. This is the miracle. There is power in prayer. Credit: YouTube.
IMAGE: Diving Bell Spider. Can you see the resemblance? Okene in his chamber can be compared to the spider in his oxygen “bell.” Who is your BELL of protection? Proverbs 18:10 states, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe” (NKJV), offering a profound message of spiritual security and divine protection. It highlights that God’s character, authority, and presence serve as a fortified, reliable refuge for believers in life’s trials.
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ARTWORK:
I share my artwork with you. “Breath Of Surrender (May 2026).” Media: Canvas, acrylic paint, leather, copper, free-style machine sewing. See the artwork in this article. The concept for this article was initiated when I viewed the documentary “The Breath of Life” on Television an the end of February 2026 (Shime TV). I also reference the book by Daniel Koomans (2026) throughout the article.
Breath One: The Breath of Creation
In Genesis 2:7 (KJV), we read:
“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
IMAGE: The human-shaped lump of clay receives the breath of Yahweh. Adam‘s first breath sounds like “Yah- Weh.” Credit: Canva, March 2026 (AI-generated).
The Hebrew word for breath here is neshamah — divine breath. Humanity began not with speech, but with inhalation. Life itself is the gift of God’s exhale into Adam’s lungs.
Rabbi Rabbi Schneider (2024) teaches that the covenant Name of God — YHWH — is phonetically embedded in the act of breathing. When we inhale, we whisper “Yah.” When we exhale, “Weh.” The sacred Name is spoken by every human being, believer or not, thousands of times a day — simply by staying alive.
Psalm 150:6 declares:
“Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD.”
Breath is not merely biological. It is theological. Every inhale is dependence. Every exhale is surrender.
Breath Two: The Breath of Redemption
Daniel Koomans (2021) describes the second world-shaking breath — the breath of Christ on the Cross — in his powerful reflection on breath and salvation. In John 19:30 (KJV):
“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.”
IMAGE: Jesus exhaled: “It is finished.” Credit: Cava – March 2026. AI-generated.
IMAGE – INCOMPLETE ARTWORK: Heavy-duty sewing machine in the background. Yeshua on the cross, breathing His last breath: “It is finished.” Credit: The Author. Started in January 2026 & completed in March 2026.
I share my artwork with you: “Salvator Mundi.”
MEDIA: Charcoal (‘soot’) and Acrylic on canvas. Steel nails (tacks), copper sheeting (punched letters & sharded crown). Free-style machine sewing (black thread). Old vintage wooden frame.
Completed artwork: Credit the author.
Credit Completed Artwork: INRI – Latin abbreviation. The Author (created between February and March 2026).
The Son of God exhaled.
The Greek word implies releasing spirit — breath departing. The same breath that calmed storms (Mark 4:39), healed the sick (Mark 1:41–42), and raised the dead (John 11:43) was willingly surrendered.
The world shook (Matthew 27:51). The veil tore. Graves opened.
Koomans (2021) highlights that redemption came not through force, but through a final breath. Humanity’s suffocating sin met divine oxygen at Calvary. Christ exhaled so we could inhale eternal life.
Breath Three: The Breath of Resurrection and New Life
Three days later — another breath.
In John 20:22 (KJV):
“And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.”
IMAGE: Jesus breathes on his disciples. Credit Canva (March 2026). AI-generated.
This is no accident. The resurrected Christ reenacts Genesis. Just as God breathed life into Adam, Jesus breathed the Spirit into His disciples.
Creation.
Redemption.
Commission.
Koomans (2021) describes this third breath as the ignition point of the Church. Pentecost would soon follow (Acts 2), but here we see the intimate moment — Christ breathing courage into frightened hearts.
The same breath that sustained Harrison Okene in the darkness sustains believers in every trial.
The Gospel in an Air Pocket
Okene survived because someone came down into the depths. A rescuer entered his death chamber, gave him life (oxygen) and led him to safety.
The Gospel story is similar:
- Humanity was overturned by sin (Romans 5:12).
- Oxygen fading.
- Hope diminishing.
Then Christ descended (Ephesians 4:9), broke into our sealed tomb, our darkness, and brought us out alive.
Just as Okene said, “Bless those divers, but most of all praise the Name of Jesus,” so we echo the truth of Acts 4:12 (KJV):
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
Yah-Weh.
The Name is in your lungs right now. Listen to His awesome Name.
Yah-Weh.
The Name Written in Breath
Rabbi Schneider’s teaching (2024) reminds us that even atheists unknowingly whisper God’s Name with every breath. The dying often speak it without realising. The newborn’s first cry forms it. The final sigh of the elderly releases it.
Breath is worship.
Breath is dependence.
Breath is testimony.
Daniel Koomans (2021) frames these three breaths as history’s turning points:
- God breathed into Adam — Life began.
- Jesus breathed out on the Cross — Redemption accomplished.
- Jesus breathed on His disciples — Mission launched.
Three breaths that shook the world.
Your Breath Today
Right now, pause.
Inhale — “Yah.”
Exhale — “Weh.”
You are alive because God sustains you (Colossians 1:17).
You are redeemed because Christ surrendered His breath.
You are empowered because the Spirit has been given.
Harrison Okene heard the clank of salvation before he saw the diver.
Perhaps today you hear something stirring in your hull — a knock of grace, a whisper in your lungs.
It may be the sound of rescue.
And every breath you take is proof that the Rescuer still comes.
If you have not received Him, there is still air in your lungs. Use it, send words of Faith over your vocal cords.
SHORTEST PRAYER OF SALVATION:
Lord Jesus Christ,
I confess that I am a sinner.
I believe You died for me and rose again.
I repent of my sins and receive You as my Lord and Saviour.
Come into my heart and make me new.
Amen.
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References
Koomans, D. (2021). Three Breaths That Changed the World. Publisher.
Schneider, K. (2024). God’s covenant name Yahweh [Transcript of sermon]. Sermons. Love. Retrieved from https://sermons.love/rabbi-schneider/19692-rabbi-schneider-gods-covenant-name-yahweh.html
The Holy Bible, King James Version.
Copyright © 2026 by William Van Zyl
Three Breaths That Shook The World
All rights reserved. This eBook/article or any portion
thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner
without the publisher’s permission, except for using brief quotations in a book review.
Published by Five House Publishing (New Zealand)
First Publishing, March 2026
More eBooks and articles are available at https://fivehousepublishing.com/
More about the author at http://williamvanzyl.com/
