What Does It Mean To Abide When Life Feels Busy?

Q: Can you explain what it means to abide, especially when life feels busy and active?

A: The whole sense behind the word 'abide' is to dwell or to live in. For example, I am abiding in Tennessee this week; that's where I am. You abide in a home or a place. As much as those things are true in a material sense, it's also true that our heart and life need to abide in Jesus Christ and live in Him.

Jesus said, 'If you abide in me and my words abide in you, then you can ask what you will, and it shall be done for you.' He spoke a lot about the importance of abiding. It means to live in Him and to ask God to lead you, guide you, and show you how to live in Jesus.

A classic book that touches on this is 'The Practice of the Presence of God' by Brother Lawrence. It's an old book, but it's short and worth reading or finding a modernized version. It teaches us how to experience God in everyday life and in everyday things, which is very much about the concept of abiding.