The worship team at our church introduced the song “Abide” a couple of months ago, and I keep coming back to it again and again. God will bring the song to mind at random times throughout the day, and I know He is reminding me of the truth in it. His timing is always perfect—and usually, it's when I'm feeling overwhelmed by life circumstances that are out of my control. In those moments, I need to refocus my heart on Him.I'll link the song at the end of the post, but here are the lyrics to the first verse and chorus:
“For my waking breath, for my daily bread
I depend on You, I depend on You
For the sun to rise, for my sleep at night
I depend on You, I depend on You
You're the way, the truth, and the life
You're the well that never runs dry
I'm the branch, and You are the vine
Draw me close and teach me to abide.”
The Lord keeps reminding me to abide in Him. Yet, when circumstances become overwhelming, I often try to figure things out on my own. Instead of resting and trusting in Him, I jump into action, determined to fix things myself. Too often, I only come to Him when I’m neck-deep in a mess of my own making.
Why is it so hard to abide? Why do I resist it?
Much of it comes from pride. I want to be independent, to determine my next steps, and to stay in control. But the truth is, control and independence are illusions I've deceived myself into believing I have. God is ultimately in control, and abiding in Him takes far less effort than striving to fix what I was never meant to control. And yet... I still do it.
Abiding and resting go hand in hand. Both require being still and waiting—two things I find incredibly hard. I don’t like to be still. I don’t like to wait. I want to be moving, planning, and doing. When situations aren’t going the way I think they should, my instinct is to jump in and try to fix them. But God asks me to abide, not to fix.
John 15:5 says, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without me you can do nothing."
I can’t do anything without Christ. When I choose to go my own way, I inevitably make things worse. But when I choose to abide, He produces His fruit in me—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
That’s the kind of life I want—one where His fruit is evident in me. But the only way to get there is to trust, rest, and abide in Him. So God continues to gently teach me this lesson over and over again. I try, my pride gets in the way, and I fall flat on my face. Yet every time, He picks me up, dusts me off, and lovingly nudges me back toward abiding in Him.
Lord, draw me close and teach me to abide.
Abide, by Aaron Williams.
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