Lessons in Abiding

I had spent the entire day in meetings yesterday so I made a point of making sure I got outside and out in the fresh air. As I was walking and reflecting yesterday, I realize that I am beginning to develop an awareness of how the Lord has used this season of feeling alone to stretch me and draw me into closer fellowship with Him.

I have taken on more of a leadership and mentoring role in almost every ministry area in my life and I know that I would not be able to do that if I was where I had been 5 years ago. As I thought back over the past few years I can see how the Lord has pulled me into a space of being isolated in order to hear more clearly the direction He wants me to go. 

I've been focusing on the word, Connection, this year and I've learned a few lessons about staying connected or abiding in the vine.

1. To abide you need to allow God to create spaciousness in your life. 

What do I mean by this? We have a tendency to crowd so much into our schedule and want to accomplish so much in a day that we don’t allow space to hear from the Lord. We generally are running from the moment we get up until we crash into bed at night.

If we don’t intentionally create space within our day, we will not be able to stay connected. 

Psalm 18:19 says, He brought me out to a spacious place; He delivered me, for in me He takes delight. 

Psalm 118:5 says, I called to the Lord in distress; the Lord answered me in a spacious place.

2 Samuel 22:20 – He brought me out to a spacious place. He delivered me because He delighted in me. 

The Hebrew word, Merchab, which is used in each of these verses means spacious place which is used to describe a place of freedom, safety and openness. God wants us to dwell in a place of spaciousness with enough room for Him because He delights in us!

2. Abiding means developing a listening ear.

In order to do this we need to listen to God’s voice. 

John 10:22-27 tells us that Christ's sheep recognize His voice. When we follow the Lord, we are called His sheep and we should be able to recognize His voice. That only happens by staying connected to Him. If we are so busy listening to the voices of this world and making that the thing of importance in our lives then we will not be able to hear from the Lord. 

3. As we abide and listen to God’s voice, we will find that God often speaks in the silence.

In 1 Kings we read the story of the prophet, Elijah. Elijah discovers that Jezebel is out to kill him. So he runs away and hides. God asks Elijah, "What are you doing here?" And tells Eljiah to go stand on the mountain in the Lord’s presence. As Elijah stands there, the Lord passes by and the text tells us that God wasn’t in the great and mighty wind, and He wasn’t in the earthquake, nor was He in the fire. But then after the fire, the text says there was complete and utter silence and in the silence God spoke. 

God speaks to us as we create spaciousness and then quiet ourselves so we can hear Him speak in the silence. When we can allow space and silence in our lives then we will begin to hear what the Lord is saying to us. When we crowd our days with so much noise it is going to be difficult to hear the voice of the Lord. 

4. Abiding means we need to tune out the distractions. 

I love fresh flowers and one of my favorites are lilacs.  They are vibrant, colorful, fragrant, fresh, alive, sweet, uplifting, inspirational, and beautiful.  These adjectives describe most flowers and they are words that should describe believers who are rooted in Christ. 

Often though, we seem to reflect a wilted bunch of flowers instead.  We have the life of Christ in us, but have forgotten that He wants us to have abundant life. We are drooping!

This can happen because of various distractions in our lives.  And when that happens, our enemy, the devil, is thrilled.  Because that is exactly what he wants.  He wants us to live ineffectual, "going through the motions" life.

My desire is to live an overflowing life, but it won't happen though if I remain distracted. Distractions can take on many forms and will be different for different people. Each of us knows what our distraction is that continues to hold us back.

5. Dig into God’s Word. 

Psalm 119:15-16 says, “I will meditate on Your precepts and think about Your ways. I will delight in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word. It continues to amaze me that many believers know that they should be digging into God’s word and yet don’t really do it. 

We often rely on short little devotionals or even worse, never even look at what God's word says. There is life in the words found in here but unless we are studying it for ourselves we are susceptible to being led astray or feasting on junk food rather than meat.

6. Slow down, pray for discernment and take time to process

For much of my life I have been really quick to jump into decisions. I hear and opportunity or I face a challenge and I jump into action. I pray for about a minute, plunge in and then regret my decision. I am learning to take time to really pray about something. 

If I’ve given a quick yes, then I’m either mired in something I shouldn’t be in or I have to go back and change my mind. As you abide in Christ, listen to His voice, go to His word for wisdom and then ask for wisdom and discernment, He will give you the answers.

7. Figure out what activities or things help you feel close to the Lord.

Is it music and through worship? Perhaps it’s art? Maybe it’s being out in nature. For some people they do better praying and spending time with the Lord in the morning and for others it may be nighttime. Whatever works best, do that. 

I love photography and hiking and as I walk, I pray and meditate. I listen to the Lord. He brings ideas to my mind and often gives me the answer I’m looking for. I also love taking pictures and a friend told me recently when I was saying, “I’m not sure why I take so many photos that taking pictures was a way I express my worship.

Figure out what works for you.

8. Pray without ceasing. 

What does that look like especially when circumstances, emotions, and busyness threaten to derail us? We are in a world where are schedules seem out of control at times. Does this mean I’m supposed to stay on my knees 24/7? 

There are days when I’m tempted to get my to-do list done instead of setting aside time in God’s word and prayer. Yet, I know that if I don’t make that my main priority then nothing good I do will make a difference.

I want to spend time in God’s word in prayer so He can speak to me and feed me. So He can remind me of the areas of my life that need attending to and where He wants to pour into me. 

9. Abiding also means remembering the following three principles: rejoice in hope, be patient in affliction and be persistent in prayer. 

Life is hard and many of us have gone through some really hard times. When I am tempted to complain, whine, lament or give in to fear, I am reminded of these three principles taken out of Romans 12.  They help me to keep an even keel no matter what I'm facing.

Rejoice in hope - When I feel hopeful, the fear calms.  I feel upbeat and positive and thankful.  Hope is the reason I get up each morning and can face a new day.  That spark of hopefulness causes me to rejoice!

Patient in affliction - When times are rough, I try to have patience in the midst of it.  I remind myself of the ways God has worked in the past and believe that He will work in the future. I ask for wisdom in the situation. Patience means I quietly and calmly going about my business and trust the Lord.

Persistent in prayer - No matter if things are on an upswing or a downswing, I spend time in pray.  Prayer is the one thing that we are taught over and over again in God's word.  Pray without ceasing.  So I go to the Lord when things are good, but also when things are going poorly. Prayer is our reminder of our dependence upon God. I've been convicted lately that my prayer life needs to be consistent and persistent. 

As I look at these nine lessons I've been learning about what it means to abide or stay connected, I realize that none of those would have happened without intentionality and having this season in my life that God has allowed. I've really struggled at times the past five years, but as I look back, I can see how God has used this experience to develop and draw me into a closer relationship with Him.