Abide

I’m thinking about the word “abide” this week. Our church has been working through the writings of John to start off the new year. During my reading in John 15, as it probably should, the word abide is leaping off the page. You know those moments when you read something, and you know that you know that you know there is something important going on. This is where I found my heart and mind. I’m reading it again and again, and seeing this undeniable link between abiding and bearing fruit. What I hadn’t picked up on in earlier readings is the connection to prayer.

I forget where I heard this, but there is use of the same Greek word “pruning” that can also mean cleansing or purifying. So Jesus starts with saying that I am clean because of the word he has spoken to me. He has pruned or cleansed me. Fresh start. Clean slate. Then I abide so that I can bear fruit. Then, “ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you”. Now there’s a caveat here of course. It’s possible that asking for a million dollars will be granted provided it’s from the place of abiding, but Jesus’ main concern here is the return of his people. The return of his people to his Kingdom, his ways, his heart, for his glory.

So how do I abide? The notion of closeness is what I’ve been sitting with in my thoughts. Waiting. Lingering. Finding that place where I’m tuned in to the presence of God, and then staying there. Jesus says that the end result is that the Father is glorified and my joy may be full. If I’m honest, more often than not, I’m caught up in the cares of the life throughout my day more than I am abiding. There is grace for the willing heart. Returning once again with my whole heart.