Abide in Him
One of my favorite things about the bible app and studying scripture is comparing the different versions. Sometimes just one word in a different version can be the key to scripture coming alive to me.
In John 15:4 in the NKJV it reads, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” A couple verses later in John 15:7 (also in the NKJV) it reads, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”
If you look up the definition of the word abide, it means “to live” and “to dwell.” So, to abide in the Lord, and Him in me, means to live in Him and for Him to live in me. To dwell in Him and for Him to dwell in me.
One of the things I have been struggling with lately is I have this fear that if I don’t check all my boxes, the promises of God will leave me. If I don’t pray, read my bible, worship, etc. that His covering won’t be there anymore. That I will be exposed and vulnerable to more anxiety and panic attacks. That fear, which we know can’t be from the Lord, is how we turn a relationship with God into a religion.
Those lies are what rob us from a true, life-giving relationship with the Lord full of joy and peace! After I read those verses in John, I decided I really wanted to dive into what it means to abide in the Lord and what that would look like for me. I was tired of seeing it as “checking a box” out of duty. I didn’t see it in the moment, but that mentality was rooted in fear which was the very thing I was working to overcome!
I started setting an alarm on my phone for 2:30pm in the afternoon and labeled it “abide in Him.” Around that time Nora and Penelope are usually napping and Zoe is in school, providing me with a little time to myself. And I really wanted to start being intentional with spending time with the Lord. Well, two Sunday’s ago, “abide in Him” became so evidently clear to me.
After church Chad went to a recital for a friend of ours and Penny and Nora were napping. I didn’t have anything I really needed to do so Zoe asked if I would do some puzzles with her. I saw this as a perfect opportunity to be intentional with her. We laughed, shared a snack, and worked on a couple puzzles together. During that time my alarm “abide in Him” went off.
After I stopped the alarm, I made Zoe look at me as I told her how much I love her and how special she is to me. I then began to tell her how much the Lord loves her and how special she is to Him. She smiled and continued with the puzzle. And then I just thanked the Lord for choosing me to be her mom. For entrusting me to raise her and show her what it means to love the Lord wholeheartedly. I prayed that He would give me the wisdom and strength to be the best mother I could be for her. And then I continued on with the puzzle.
And then it clicked. I heard the Lord so clearly, “THAT is abiding in Me.” That is being in relationship with the Lord. And it was in that moment that it became so clear to me. That 3 minute talk with Zoe/prayer was me acknowledging the Lord during my day. It was me making Him a part of my everyday life. It wasn’t me sitting down listening to worship music while reading chapters in my Bible, although that is great too! It was me simply making Him a part of even the smallest moments that seem insignificant.
God desires for us to abide in Him, to be in relationship with Him. That means acknowledging him in the good moments and bad ones. Ackowledging him when we wake up and go to sleep. Talking to Him when we do the dishes or make dinner. Talking to Him about how our day is going great, or how our day simply sucks. He wants all of it. All of us. Don’t get stuck in religion feeling like you need to check boxes to be close to God. Make Him a part of your everyday, small moments. He’s closer than we realize.
A small group workbook on freedom I’m working through right now says it this way, “Bring your world and God’s world together and make them one. Your secular world shouldn’t be any different than your sacred world.”
Learning to abide in Him with you,
