Today I Abided

Today I abided.

I fasted and prayed as part of my Sabbath. 

When these three spiritual rhythms are combined, the mystery of God is on display in a way that’s hard to explain. I talk a lot about Sabbath when I teach. I share a little about prayer–mostly that it’s the weakest area of my faith life. At Lent, I talk about fasting, but not as much throughout the year. 

This week as I prepare for the Abide Women’s Conference, I scheduled all three of these practices together to abide. 

The word “abide” in a faith context comes from John 15. The idea is that Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. The passage says to “remain” or “abide” in his love. This was once a very confusing passage for me, so I studied and wrote about it extensively in the free 5-day guide to abide devotional. 

Now with some context, let’s talk about the act of abiding. The instruction here is to “remain” in God’s love. But how can we ever leave it? It’s something that God initiates. So when I say I fasted, prayed, and observed the Sabbath to abide, what I really mean is that I did these things to become more aware of God’s love in my life. 

Sabbath is taking a break from work. For me this means taking away the responsibilities to the things of this world. This isn’t realistic for my life in every season, but right now on my Sabbath I don’t clean, pay bills, work, or run errands. I just do it the day before or after. I’m free from the stress of “adulting” and even find myself disconnecting from the things that worry me, like money, opportunities, and imposter syndrome. Can you imagine what your life would look like if you took a break from these stressors once per week? 

Fasting is taking a break from food, which includes deciding what to eat, preparing it, and cleaning up from it. Instead, that time is used to read Scripture, journal, pray, worship, walk, or experience the love of God in whatever ways you connect with him best. 

Prayer is taking a break from distractions. It’s a time of complete focus on God and his ways. It involves hearing from him and noticing him. 

So when all three of these come together, even just for one hour, the mystery of God’s love becomes more accessible. Still a mystery–truly, I don’t understand the complexity and overwhelmingness of God’s love for all of humanity–but somehow, the idea of “remaining” or “abiding” in God’s love becomes more tangible. You become aware of God’s love in ways you don’t when life is full of work, food, and worry. You can see God more clearly when everything else that normally fills your mind, body, and soul are removed. 

I can’t explain it. But somehow, in these moments, I just know everything is going to be okay. I feel the peace that is beyond my understanding. I experience God’s love in my bones and my belly. 

Then, when that time of fasting, prayer, and Sabbath is done, I enter back into the world while remaining in this awareness of God’s love. I schedule these things so that I can abide, but realize God’s the one already abiding. A wonderful mystery. 

Today I abided. 

I prayed, fasted, and practiced Sabbath. At the end of the day, I knew God’s love for me and was able to “remain” in it. 

For more information, download the free guide to abide or register for the Abide Conference.