To understand Him is to understand hope. To understand His gift of mercy is to understand His gift of grace. To understand our continued state of rescue is to understand our place of refuge.
Abide.
Lately, nothing soothes my heart and mind more than the moments where I find myself sitting still and abiding with my Lord. There, I draw comfort and strength. I focus on Him and who He is as Father, Son, and Spirit. In the place of full abiding is where I can breathe Him in, refreshing and perfectly good.
Abide in His refuge.
Who He is completely captures me. Though I should want to recoil in shame, I am nonetheless drawn into His presence fully aware of the grace and mercy covering me. The very essence of my continued rescue is found in those moments when I rest in Him, and the exceptional standard of hope that is found in Him is given during these moments. Words from the Psalmist come to mind as I recall the image of refuge, a refuge found in those moments of abiding.
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.Psalm 46:1-3
Abide in His Dwelling Place
The Throne Room of Heaven, the Holy of Holies. It is a place to where I move beyond seeking escape. It is a place where I can come to Him and it is intimate, beautiful, and holy. Holding fast to Jesus, I can enter His presence with reverence and with rest. This combination of feelings produces an attitude which depicts the place of His dwelling. Here grace envelops me all the more, so wherever sin has tempted and tried…sin finds full defeat.
Abide in the Rescuer
Through the God-Son, there is no manner of sin that was not defeated through His perfection, through His death, and through His resurrection. So, in all the ways fleshly desires hound us and in all the way sin’s aroma seeks to draw us in, we can hold fast to the knowledge of a Rescuer who felt the same temptations and conquered them. His accomplishments over–not just the very nature of sin, but as well as its enticing, tempting ways–are a victory we can claim. This continued state of rescue is what heals, strengthens, humbles, and produces an immense sense of awe.
“Therefore, since we have such a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Hebrews 4:14-16
Abide in Jesus
Maybe, like me, you sometimes feel the heaviness of struggle. Perhaps you empathize with Paul when he said, “For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” There is hope. For the believer, hold firmly to Him. Approach the throne of grace with the confidence you have as one who has been redeemed by, and through, Jesus Christ. He is our help and our refuge in time of need, in time of temptation and struggle. His grace binds us to Him completely. Hold on to that and find rest in Him. While on this side of heaven we are not free from temptation, but we are free from its chains–through Christ alone. Abide in Him, for in Christ our holiness is found.
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I’m thinking of Psalm 46:1 when I see this post – “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble”….
Andrea, YES! That was another verse that kept popping in my mind as I wrote this post. Thank you for sharing! ~ Melissa W.
There is something about the word ABIDE that beckons to my soul. Our sermon at Valentine’s Day was about abiding in Christ’s love and it spoke to my heart a new. Thank you for sharing such precious words today.
Your words are mine echoed, the word abide “beckons to me soul”, as well. The more I learn about it and the places He brings me as I spend time in true abiding…it just makes me ache that much more for the fulfillment of all that is to come. Thank you for the feedback! ~ Melissa W.
We just did the Bible Bee study for the summer. The theme was “abide.” The main study was John 14-16, but these are great thoughts to go along with it. Thanks!
Tara, thank you for the feedback.:) All summer, I have been captivated by the word “abide” and all that it means. I still have much to learn, but am loving the beauty of abiding in Him. I have not heard of the Bible Bee study, I would like to know more about it. ~ Melissa Williams
I love this word abide. It means God knows our deepest fears and worries. He will never fail us. We can lean in, and trust Him completely. Thanks for the post.
Oh, yes! I love what you said, “God knows our deepest fears and worries. He will never fail us.” It is such mercy for Him to know our deepest fears and failings and still show Himself faithful and true — such amazing grace! Thank you for the feedback! ~ Melissa W.
Abide in him. I need that reminder tonight. He is my refuge of hope <3
Caroline, I am so glad these words we encouraging to you and the reminder you needed. I find myself (often) in need of such reminders. What a beautiful thing it is that we have in our Rescuer. Thank you for the feedback! ~ Melissa W.
I love how Psalm 27 talks of longing to dwell in the house of the Lord. May that be our daily prayer.
I really needed this today. Thank you so much. Our holiness truly is found “in Christ alone”.
Melissa this just puts me in a mode of “slow down”, which is huge for me in this season of life. Thank you
Thank you for sharing, Melissa. I am so thankful that we are no longer bound to the temptation we face, instead being able to draw close to His grace. So freeing!
“His grace binds us to Him completely. Hold on to that and find rest in Him. While on this side of heaven we are not free from temptation, but we are free from its chains–through Christ alone. Abide in Him, for in Christ our holiness is found.” This is such a beautiful and powerful statement! It gives me inexpressible joy and complete calm all at the same time. Over the years as my faith and relationship with God has grown I find excitement in abiding in Him as a daughter wants to please and delight her father! Thank you for… Read more »
I was telling my kids just the other day that my favorite part of prayer is the silence of abiding in God’s presence.
I love the word abide. There is no other word that describes so beautifully the one thing that brings peace. God is so good to bend down and meet us where we’re at!
Learning to abide in Christ has been the single most rewarding thing I have ever done in my life. And the thing is, no one can take that away. My life is hidden in Him.
Abiding in God has the best effects, I recently lost my boyfriend because of my celibacy stand and the only time I have felt bad is when I fail to pray or start to doubt…God indeed is my present help.
Today I was convicted by a study on contentment, when I most certainly learned that I am totally not content in the lot God has given me. I am so not abiding and so totally striving on my own strength. Really appreciate the encouragement in this post to abide in Him alone.