A Life That Abides

This summer hasn’t looked like I imagined. I pictured slow mornings on my porch with coffee, my Bible, and my journal. Instead, the heat drove me inside. There were errands, meals to cook, children needing rides, unexpected interruptions, and all the ordinary moments that make up real life. Also. There was something big and hard and devastating – but private so I can’t share. In all of this. Summer just wasn’t what I wanted or pictured. 

So what is this life that abides? 

As I sat at my desk one morning instead of on my porch, I realized something that surprised me.

Jesus had never asked me to abide on the porch.

He asked me to abide in Him.

Over the past twenty years, I’ve discovered that abiding isn’t a place. It isn’t a feeling. It isn’t even a season when life slows down enough to finally “get serious” about my relationship with God.

It’s a way of living.

Looking back, I can see that the places where my roots have grown deepest weren’t the easiest seasons. They were the ordinary ones. The years of changing diapers. The sleepless nights. The seasons of depression. The ministry is disappointing. Parenting brings heartache. The joyful celebrations. The ordinary Tuesdays. Through all of it, Jesus kept inviting me to remain.

That introduction naturally leads into John 15 and lets you end the series with the emphasis you’ve been building toward:

A life that abides isn’t measured by how productive, peaceful, or impressive it appears. That’s it. Abiding doesn’t mean life is easy, that pruning won’t come. Abiding doesn’t erase the anxiety, grief, depression, or sadness. Abiding isn’t for the exciting moments or requires that I do things perfectly. 

Abiding simply means staying close to Jesus through every season. 

• Abiding doesn’t mean life is easy.
• It doesn’t remove pruning.
• It doesn’t eliminate anxiety.
• It doesn’t erase grief.
• It doesn’t make every day exciting.
• It doesn’t require perfect fruit.

It simply means staying close to Jesus. It’s simply a life that keeps returning to Jesus, day after day, season after season. 

This summer probably didn’t go the way you expected. Maybe you imagined slow mornings with coffee on the porch and long quiet times with your Bible. Instead there were appointments, vacations, sick kids, work deadlines, grief you didn’t expect, and ordinary days that all blurred together. I know that’s how my summer felt.

After a tough family situation this summer, I’ve clung to the promises found in Psalm 107. 

This is really a testimony psalm.

“Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.” Psalm 107:1

Throughout the rest of the psalm people wander, become imprisoned, get sick, are caught in storms, and experience the desert. Every single time they cried to the Lord in their trouble and God delivered them. Then notice what happens. They remembered. 

A Life That Abides Remembers

Psalm 107 doesn’t begin with instructions. It begins with remembrance. They Gave Thanks….because God is good and His steadfast love never changes. In John 15 we’ve seen that healthy branches don’t spend each day worrying, they just connect themselves to the Vine. 

After over thirty years of following Jesus, I don’t remember every sermon or Bible study. I can’t tell you what lessons I’ve taught or sat under, but I can tell you that God remains faithful. Through postpartum depression and adoption God answered prayers and showed Himself faithful. 

After moving to Honduras and back, raising five children, countless disappointments and the ordinariness of motherhood – God has been faithful. I don’t remember every prayer that I’ve prayed, but I do remember God answered each one. And through this I’ve learned He can be trusted. 

A Life That Abides Keeps Crying Out

Every section in Psalm 107 repeats:

Then they cried to the LORD…

Over and again. Abiding in Christ means we keep going – there is no “graduating” from needing God. Abiding reminds us to run to God quicker! Instead of worrying for hours, we cry out immediately. Prayer and turning to God becomes our first response instead of our last resort. 

We stop trying to fix the thing or do better, we learn to ask God – crying out to Him for wise, patience, and love. Years ago, if I had gotten some bad news I would have done two things. I would have worried myself sick about it and then I would spend hours running through my head all of the ways to fix it. 

Ok, so sometimes I still try to fix the problems that come into my life – and yes, there are times I do need to plan and get things done. But somewhere between panic and planning I’ve learned to pray first! 

That’s growth. Not because of me, but because of Christ and abiding in Him. 

A Life That Abides Learns to Wait for Redemption

Throughout Psalm 107 we see something important: God doesn’t erase every storm. Instead, He brings the people through them. Friend, this is the entire story of the Bible. All of Scripture reminds us that God will restore what was broken way back in Genesis 3 with the sin of Adam and Eve. 

Ultimately Jesus came on the cross to rescue us. Yes, God brings us through the times of drought, depression, anxiety, and grief. But in this world we might live permanently with this current of sadness flowing

I woke up the other day realizing that this world is so broken and until I reach Heaven, sadness might just have to walk with me until I get there. There are things in my life, in my very own family, that can’t ultimately be healed or fixed. I can’t do it. God will work, but damage has been done. Heartache will remain. 

In the meantime, I have this promise:

Even when life doesn’t make sense…
Even when healing doesn’t come…
Even when prayers seem delayed…

I know how the story ends. God is making all things new. That gives me hope for today. Maybe it can give you hope as well. 

Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord. -Psalm 107:43

The last verse of Psalm 107 is really about abiding. The word “attend” there in Psalm 107:43 means to guard or keep. It means to watch over, like you would a job. What does God want us to keep charge of? These thoughts: God’s steadfast love.

I absolutely love this verse. The psalmist doesn’t end by saying: “Study harder.” or “Pray more.” He says to pay attention to, notice, and remember. How else can we say this? We are to meditate. Live, everyday, awake to God’s steadfast love. 

A life that abides…

…remembers God’s promises every day.

…cries out to Him in every circumstance.

…trusts that He is writing a redemption story, even when we can’t yet see the ending.

…and keeps returning to the unchanging truth that His steadfast love endures forever.

As this Summer of Abiding comes to a close, my prayer isn’t that you’ll remember every lesson we studied together. I hope you’ll remember something much greater—that God is good, His steadfast love endures forever, and He invites you to remain with Him every single day. Whether tomorrow brings joy or grief, ordinary routines or unexpected storms, the invitation hasn’t changed. 

Abide in Christ. Remember His faithfulness. Cry out to Him often. Trust His redeeming work. And as Psalm 107 reminds us, “Let the one who is wise pay attention to these things and carefully consider the LORD’s faithful love” (Psalm 107:43, CSB). May that become not just the ending of this series, but the beginning of a lifetime of abiding.

Read the Entire Series Here: 

Week 1→ What Does It Really Mean to Abide in Christ?

Week 2 →Why Spiritual Growth Often Feels Painful

Week 3 → How to Abide in Christ in Busy Seasons

Week 4→ 7 Ways to Abide When You Feel Spiritually Dry

Week 5 → Why Abiding Is Better Than Striving

Week 6 → Abiding Through Anxiety and Uncertainty

Week 7 → How to Abide in Christ During Seasons of Grief

Week 8 → Abiding Between the Mountains and Valleys

Week 9 → How Abiding Changes the Way We Love