Living in the unprecedented

Today is the day. Yes, today. While panic swirls in the atmosphere. Surging through conversations and broadcasts and social media. As a global pandemic  postpones, cancels, locks down.

Today is the day. To remember what is true. And focus on the lifeblood of this walk by faith. The only way we live and breathe and have our being.

Jesus invites us. Right in the middle of the normal and the upside down. Whether we’re walking through the ordinary or the unprecedented.

Come to Me

Our Savior sees the weary and worn. Those weighed down by burdens they try to carry on their own. And He gives the invitation.

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest. 
Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30

Listen. In the noise of the current news, He invites us to this place of soul rest. To trust Him. 

As we draw near and take up His yoke, we won’t wander off in a path or rut of our own making. So we ask Him to help us fully and wholeheartedly respond to this call.

Abide in Me

Our Lord knows that we can’t survive without a firm and thriving attachment to the Vine.  In some of his final words to the disciples before He went to the cross, He made this clear.

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.  
I am the vine; you are the branches.
Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit,
for apart from me you can do nothing.”
John 15:4-5 

It’s a good reminder. Apart from Him, we can do nothing. Nothing.

Daily abiding

In several decades of following the Lord, the single most impactful practice I’ve found for abiding in Christ is uncomplicated. And daily.

The discipline of everyday time in the Word of God and in prayer makes all the difference. Personally seeking the Lord. Asking Him to teach me His truth and His ways. [For more on this, see my post on Habit.]

In this day of the unprecedented

We cannot truly live without abiding in Him. 
We cannot truly live. 
We cannot.

So, in the day of the unprecedented. Today. Let’s draw near to Him and learn from Him. Abiding in Christ through prayer and the Word. 

As we do, we find our footing on the Rock that never shifts or gives way. We keep our eyes on the Sovereign One who sees it all and holds us in His hands.  Our unknown is already known by Him.

The Lord is my strength and my shield;
    in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
    and with my song I give thanks to him.
Psalm 28:7

Practical abiding

Sometimes it’s helpful to try something new in your discipline of abiding. Particularly in days of restricted movement or “sheltering in place.” Here are a few ideas.  Please share yours in the comments below.

• Silence. Take some extra time to sit alone in silence with the Father. Ask Him to quiet the noise, the to-do lists, the anxious thoughts. Ask Him to prepare your heart to hear. Then, listen. Wait. Don’t rush through. Rest with Him. 

• Get to know a book of the Bible well. Read through Philippians (or another book of the Bible) every day for one week. Ask the Lord to point out key phrases and lessons. Look for key verses in each passage and write them out.  Glean ways to pray for others. Ask a friend to join you in this study and share your results with each other at the end of the week. 

• Meditate. Choose one verse from your daily reading. Write it down in your journal or on a notecard to carry with you. Repeat the verse over and over, emphasizing a different word each time. Think about how you will apply His truth in your life today. 

• Sing. Sing a chorus of praise to the Lord or sing the verse you are meditating on that day. You can make up your own tune.

• Listen. Hear the audio version of your passage for the day. Available on Bible apps or online versions.

• Create. Use your hands to illustrate a key thought or reminder of the passage you are reading. Draw or paint. Or form something out of clay.

• Devotional breaks. Place a devotional book at a strategic place in your home where you work or eat. Stop to read a short devotion during your day or during a meal. Write out verses on spiral bound notecards and place these where you will see them.

• Prayerwalk the neighborhood. Keep a “map” in your journal (or prayer notebook) of those you talk with and pray for.  

• Prayer notebook or calendar. Organize your regular prayer requests on days of the week. Pray intentionally and purposefully for Personal/Family, Lost friends/family, Unreached Peoples, the Community, the Nation, the World, etc. 

What about you?

How is the Lord encouraging you during this season of the unprecedented? What have you found to be helpful abiding practices?

Related posts

Habit – Abiding in Christ – Abiding with little and much  – Storm –  Slow walk in the Word –  Take up His yoke – Skipping Truth – Pray continually – Open to His Word – Begin to know Him now – Dust –