Abiding -Lord, Help Our Unbelief

“I am restless until I rest in You.” These words by St. Augustine firmly tie in much of the truths I have been hearing in church recently and challenging the very core of my life: the secret to life in Christ is truly resting and abiding in Him. As believers in and followers of Jesus Christ, we know we are promised eternal security, and this truth gives us peace towards the outcome of our lives. Yet, sometimes, it can be easy to feel restless in the today, in the here and now, and in the seemingly small, yet so tedious things we must do today. In our restlessness, we become so vulnerable to discontentment and we start running to anything, hoping and looking in them for peace, joy, and rest that only Christ can bring. We become so susceptible to attacks from the world, Satan, and our own selves.

We aren’t resting in Jesus.

Grounding every part of our hearts, minds, and souls in Christ on a daily basis sets the foundation for abiding in Christ and enjoying His rest we are promised every minute of our sometimes boring lives, regardless of our situation or position. While it is okay to look forward to the seasons we hope to come in our lives, we must also realize that part of fully trusting Jesus is waiting with a thankful heart. Charles Spurgeon explains this balance with the following: “[Those in Christ] have a laudable desire to make sure of [their] God-given talents and to find for [themselves] a position in which [they] may do more good to [their] fellowmen, but [they are] not unrestful, anxious, fretful, grieving, or grasping. [They are] contented and thankful.” There is joy in embracing the current season and position we are in because we know that God wants to use us wherever we are –and, as pointed out in church this past Sunday, there is absolutely no substitute for His joy. It is easy to daydream about the next season we hope to come; but it is just as easy to try to find comfort and satisfaction in this vision. Yet our preferred future should not and cannot provide us with the rest we long for. Without abiding in Christ today, our plans are but feeble attempts to feed our hungry souls, grasping for anything that can quench our longings and try to make ourselves feel better. Soon we realize that even in the things we love most, we absolutely need Jesus.

Only Christ can satisfy.

Dear readers, I don’t know what you are facing today. But I want you to remember that no matter how fierce the temptation, trials, or lies you face, you are truly called, uniquely beloved, and completely kept only by Jesus Christ (Jude 1:1). Just as you can only find eternal security in Him, you can only find rest, peace, and joy in this life through Him. John 15, straight from the mouth and heart of Christ, challenges us: “Abide in [Christ]…As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can you, except you abide in [Christ]…for without [Christ], you can do nothing.”

For without Christ, you can do nothing.

Try all you want, it’s true. I've tried it. And I know you have too.

How then, shall we find rest and the answers we truly need?

The secret is abiding in Christ. This beautiful phrase means we are spending time with the Lord, letting Him renew our minds by reading His Word, and leaving all our burdens to Him through prayer. As He begins to transform our hearts and minds, we are able to fight off the lies that attack us constantly either from other people or our own selves -from negativity, to hopelessness, to sin, to false teaching. Jesus begins to truly become our everything, enabling us to “take every thought captive” (II Cor. 10:5), becoming “more than conquerors” (Rom. 8:37), lighting the world with our testimony (Matt. 5:14-16), and truly, purely, joyfully abiding in Jesus (John 15:1-11). This is rest. This is His promise.

Lord, we believe, help our unbelief (Mark 9:24).