Help me Abide! 

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. John 15.4

More from the beautiful chapter ... 

One Bible translation says, ‘Abide in me…’ another says ‘Remain in me…’¹   Either way, it is an invitation from Jesus, to those who want to follow him; it is an invitation to intimacy, and a call to be ever mindful and soulful of our Lord, no matter the activity to which we set our hand.

In truth, I cannot think of learning to abide, (while all about oneself, life must be attended), without thinking of Brother Laurence, a monk in a Carmelite monastery in Paris, France, most noted for his desire to practice the presence of God, no matter what task was at hand.  Though he lived in the 1600s, his thoughts are timeless.

Abiding begins with desire ~ And so our brother prayed, “Oh my God, since you are with me, and I must now, in obedience to your commands, apply my mind to these outward things, I ask you to grant me the grace to continue in your presence.  To this end make me prosper through your assistance. Receive all my works, and possess all my affections.”

>Christian, let me have your attention--   How many times have you prayed, ‘God, be with me today,’ blah, blah, blah… Here’s the thing: GOD IS WITH YOU. Therein you must not lose sight of how many times God said in his Word, that he is with us; and in fact promised, ‘that he will never leave us’!²  Look at Moses’ powerful words in Deuteronomy: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”³    It is not a question of asking God to be with you, because he is with you…but rather it is a matter of you finding out how to be with God …that is to say, how to remain in him.

Look again at how Bro. Laurence began his prayer … ah….’Since you are with me…’   He got it right, did he not?  And so—realizing that God is already with us, already near us, we pray and endeavor to heighten our awareness of his presence, realizing there is nothing to which we will apply ourselves that he has not already considered … no adventure beyond him, no challenge greater than his capacity . . . because he sees, he is there, and he is more than able.  Because “the one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.”⁴

^{Because He is ... just abide.}

^Christine

^{1The word is translated from the Greek word ‘meno’, which is used 41 times in John’s gospel alone.} 

^{2Hebrews 13.5  3Deuteronomy 31.6 – but also look at Deut. 31.8 and Joshua 1.5;}

^{4 1 Thessalonians 5.24}