How to abide (live near God)
- Eljoh Hartzer, MTh
- Mar 31
- 6 min read
When we read John 15 or hear Christians talk about how to abide in God, it can still feel a little bit vague, right? This article will go into the Scripture passage where Jesus spoke about how to abide and make it very practical with ideas and tips to live near God every day. God is longing for your presence. He misses you. It is time to abide in the Vine.
May you find space here to pause, reflect, and abide.
At the end of this article is a free printable worksheet to prayerfully dive deeper.
Abiding defined
To abide could also be understood as: dwelling, staying near, or spending time with someone. It is not a rushed interaction, but a kind of lingering - a slow present awareness.
In this article we'll explore:
This is a very introductory blog about how to abide, so if you're looking to dive deeper into the meaning of the branches and the fruit and it all - this post might not be for you. Here, we'll only zoom in on the verb: ABIDE and discover its meaning for us today.
How to abide: When it got real for me
As someone who grew up in the faith, I was always used to the idea (or rather, the terminology) of staying near God. But it was only when I was in my late teenage years / early twenties that I learned how to abide.
While doing a discipleship school with our local church, I felt something stir within me. It was as if a hunger was unlocked inside. I was yearning to reach out my hand and taste His manna. I was dying of thirst and only the Living Water could sustain me.
As a theology student working part-time in an art gallery, I decided something: I want to spend so much time floored by the presence of Jesus that I'm investing in a rug.
I bought the rug and laid it out on the floor in my apartment and something shifted. The physical act of making space for God to sweep me off my feet changed something. I did not suddenly spend 24/7 in the Bible, but I would sit on that rug and study, journal, play guitar, or just talk with my flatmates - and I'd be aware that God is in the room with us.
The thing is, He's already here with me. Abiding is me becoming aware of His nearness.
How to abide:
Spend time with God. You don't have to be doing something. Just become aware of His nearness. Pray: "God, would You show me where You are in this moment?"
Stay near Him Life will try to distract you, pulling your attention away from Him... Abiding simply means to keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. Lean on Him.
When you drift away, come back to your awareness of Him.
What abiding is not
The branch cannot exist without the Vine, so abiding is NOT OPTIONAL
The Vine is constant, so whether the branch abides or not, IT DOES NOT CHANGE THE VINE
The branch stays in the Vine, deeply connected, so abiding is NOT ONCE-OFF (or quick)
If you're wondering how to abide, it's also helpful for us to quickly consider what abiding is not. Abiding is not necessarily something that has to look a certain way. It is not for show. It is not always the same. It is not one-size-fits-all.
God, your Maker, will meet you in truly unique ways. You will experience His nearness in a way that is special between the two of you...
I realized that abiding is not so much about what I'm doing (reading my Bible, praying, and so forth). Something clicked for me when I learned how to abide and just BE with God.
Vine Creative Studio holds a collection of what I like to call 'encounter tools', resources connecting hearts with Jesus. You're welcome to try one out with my free Workbook on Living as a Wholehearted Follower.
Questions for Reflection / Journaling Prompts:
Read John 15, the whole chapter if you can. If not just look at verse 4: "Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." (NIV) Q: How does what you read relate to the Fruit of the Spirit?
Read Hebrews 12:1-3 (about fixing your eyes on Jesus) and then write down 5 things that regularly distract you or pull your focus away from Him.
I want to invite you to consider abiding as living wholeheartedly for Him and with Him.
How to stay aware of God's presence
" Come near to God and he will come near to you." - James 4:8
Every page of the Bible testifies that God is present in our lives. He is keenly interested in the details and the nitty-gritty stuff that make up daily life. He is not absent, passive, or far away. He is present.
The question of abiding - when Jesus spoke about it in John 15 - is not questioning the vine. The vine is the steady life-force supporting the branches. The vine is present whether the branches recognize it or not. The vine is unmoving; it is the branches going all over the place, being swept along in the winds of change...
But it can be hard to see Him - especially if your life is full of other stuff clouding your vision. Here is how to stay aware of God's presence (how to abide):
Become still and try to figure out if you can feel God's present nearness. If not, read Scriptures about His proximity to you and memorize them. Pray and ask Him to help you feel Him.
Once you have felt His presence, stay in it (abide, dwell, don't rush past).
As you go about your day, week, month - check in with this every so often. Are you still walking at His pace or have you rushed ahead?
If you've tuned out, come to back to Him.
The more you practice this, the easier it will be to come back to Him every time.
One time the Holy Spirit showed me a picture of me running with a burning torch. I'd run to God, light the torch in His flames, and then run off, doing things for Him. But every time, my torch would flicker out after just a short while. So I rushed back to His side to get fresh flames once more. I got tired. Defeated. I cried out : "This cannot be the way!" And God answered my cry. He said: "You are right. This is not the way. You are not meant to come to Me to fill you up and then run off in another direction. You are meant to walk with Me, at My pace. Stay near the Source."
I had to learn that it was not about my calling, but about the One who's calling me...
Practices for abiding every moment
“Being in a hurry. Getting to the next thing without fully entering the thing in front of me. I cannot think of a single advantage I've ever gained from being in a hurry. But a thousand broken and missed things, tens of thousands, lie in the wake of all the rushing.... Through all that haste I thought I was making up time. It turns out I was throwing it away.” ― Ann Voskamp
If you're still reading, I hope you understand a bit more about how to abide now that we've reached the end of this article. Every single moment of your life is holy ground, drenched with His presence - Are you seeing Him?
Prayer
Dear God, You created everything in my world and You made me - so why would I believe the lie that You are not in it? You are intricately present in the very fibre of every second of my day. You are deeply interested in every thought in my mind. You are the vine and I am a branch. You are not going anywhere. May I always continue to abide in the Vine, Amen.
Your Invitation to Go Deeper
Go even deeper with this idea by using the free worksheet I made for you on this topic:
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