When Life Feels Restless: 4 Practical Ways to Abide in Jesus
Welcome,
It’s tea time. A moment to slow our breathing, open the Word, and allow His love and truth to do its quiet, faithful work in us.
Practically, how can we abide in Jesus?
Let’s begin by clarifying the question. In my blog post, “Abiding—What Does it Really Mean?” we saw that to abide means to dwell, to linger, to remain.
Practically, abiding is staying close to the Lord. It means listening to and obeying the Lord Jesus as we read His Word, returning quickly when we wander, and trusting Him when we don’t understand. Simply put, abiding is remaining grounded when life feels restless.
“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)
What a beautiful and comforting promise.
Here are four practical ways we stay close to the Lord:
Abide in His Word — read slowly and attentively
Abide in prayer — keep talking with the Lord throughout the day
Abide in obedience — respond to what you know pleases Him
Abide in trust — even when emotions shift, or situations feel uncertain
When we stay connected to the Lord, we are like a tree planted by the water. Our roots grow deep and strong. When the winds blow, we may sway, but we are not uprooted. We bear fruit in season, and our lives are sustained. (Psalm 1)
Galatians 5 describes the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This fruit becomes visible in us through the Spirit’s work.
Are there times when abiding feels difficult? Yes. Life brings distractions, doubts, fatigue, and dry seasons. Abiding doesn’t mean we never struggle—it means we stay, we focus on Christ. If the He feels distant, He has not moved. We have. We return. And we are always welcomed.
Isn’t it wonderful that we don’t have to earn God’s love? We are accepted and simply invited to rest in it.
Prayer
Loving Father,
Our desire is to remain in You, especially when life feels uncertain.
Help us stay close to Your heart today.
Amen.
Steeped in God’s love,
Evelyn 🌸
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control… those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If (Since) we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” Galatians 5:22-25
