Every weekend we gather together as a church to worship the Lord. We participate in worship by singing, listening to the word of God read, and then hearing the word of God preached.

When we are actively singing or actively listening, all is done as an act of worship to the Lord.

Because one our goals in worship is to sing songs as a congregation that glorify and honor God, we have a body of music that we rotate through. This allows every member of the church to learn the music and, most importantly, feel comfortable enough to sing along and worship the Lord.

Therefore, if you’ve been around the church for a while, you will recognize that we repeat songs a few times per month. As a worship team, our purpose is not to perform the music, but rather to facilitate the music. If new songs were sung every weekend, we would spend each weekend learning the music rather than using the music as a means to worship our great God.

Today, I want to focus on a song that we have sung a handful of times during our weekend gatherings. The song is titled “Abide” and written by a worship collective called Dwell Songs. The primary vocalist and one of the writers of the song is Aaron Williams, a worship leader from Dallas, Texas.

I’ve included the lyrics to the song below and would encourage you to read through them once without listening to the song, and then follow along with the lyrics while listening.

The song centers around John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

The message of the song is simple - depend on the Lord.

Right off the bat, verse 1 describes a few ways we exercise our dependence on the Lord:

For my waking breath for my daily bread
I depend on You, I depend on You
For the sun to rise, for my sleep at night
I depend on You, yes I depend on You

Apart from the Lord we can do nothing.

A devotional written by Marshall Segal that accompanied the release of the song says, “Jesus did not mean that we would be unable to walk or work or watch Netflix without Him. He meant that we would be unable to do anything real or meaningful or lasting - anything that pleases God. We might live for sixty, seventy, or even eighty years, and yet accomplish nothing, live for nothing, die with nothing. Most people do.”

We can make it through a full day without once acknowledging the Lord. We can do our jobs well, we can love our families well, and we can be kind to our neighbors. However, the fact is, whether we acknowledge it or not, it is only by the grace of God that we have a job in the first place. It is only by the grace of God that we have been blessed with a family. It is only by the grace of God that He has put a roof over our head and ordained great friendships with those whose paths have crossed ours.

God is the author of our lives, the sustainer of our lives, and is the judge of our lives.

God IS looking for perfection, but it is clear that our sinfulness cannot be overcome with our own blood, sweat, and tears. We cannot fulfill God’s perfect law. We cannot live up to God’s perfect standard. But thank God for Jesus. A sinless man who bore our imperfections and sinfulness, so that our relationship with God could be redeemed and restored.

Apart from the Lord we can do nothing.

The dictionary defines the word Abide as, “to remain; continue, stay.” Regardless of our circumstances, we are called to abide in the Lord. We are called to follow the teachings of Christ and the scripture in its entirety. The Old Testament holds just as much weight as the New Testament. Though Christ displayed love, compassion, and healing, he also spoke truth and quoted frequently Old Testament scriptures, making it clear that, “all scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching…so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Marshall Segal goes on to write in his devotional, “Sometimes abiding in Christ will feel like dying with Christ. But anyone who dies with Christ - who abides in and obeys the crucified King - will also be exalted with him.” (Philippians 2:9-11; Ephesians 2:6)

We have all experienced some type of hardship in this life. We have all experienced or been near friends and loved ones that have walked through heartbreaking trials. Some of us are experiencing more suffering than others. In John 16:33 Jesus reminds us, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Apart from the Lord we can do nothing.

The chorus of this song gives us an anthem to sing as we seek to abide in the Lord.

You’re the way the truth and the life
You’re the well that never runs dry
I’m the branch and You are the vine
Draw me close and teach me to abide

Be my strength my song in the night
Be my all my treasure my prize
I am Yours forever You’re mine
Draw me close and teach me to abide

Abiding in the Lord doesn’t have an end date. It is part of each person’s process of sanctification. We will never get too old for abiding in the Lord.

A scripture verse that I repeat frequently is Proverbs 16:9, “The heart of man plans his ways, but the Lord establishes his steps.”

I am not the author of my story, because I am not the creator of my life.

God has created each of us in His image and for a specific purpose. As we abide in the Lord, we acknowledge our dependence on the Lord and seek to align our will with His.

May we all abide in the Lord so that our lives may be aligned with the teachings of Christ, seeking to become more like Him each and every day, because…

Apart from the Lord we can do nothing.

Abide Lyrics

Verse 1
For my waking breath
For my daily bread
I depend on You, I depend on You
For the sun to rise
For my sleep at night
I depend on You, Yes I depend on You

Chorus 1
You’re the way the truth and the life
You’re the well that never runs dry
I’m the branch, And You are the vine
Draw me close and teach me to abide

Verse 2
Where the Spirit leads
As I’m following
I depend on You, Yes I depend on You
For the victories
Still in front of me
I depend on You, Yes I depend on You

Chorus 1

Chorus 2
Be my strength my song in the night
Bye my all my Treasure my prize
I am Yours forever You’re mine
Draw me close and teach me to abide

Verse 3
When I pass through death
As I enter rest
I depend on you, I depend on You
For eternal life
To be raised with Christ
Oh I depend on You, Yes I depend on You

Chorus 1

Chorus 2