Today I turn 28. The word most impressed on my heart for this new year of life is ABIDE.
As I grow older, the more I witness death. The weight of the fact that one of my breaths will be my last makes me want to know that my time here mattered, that it made a lasting impact. The finitude of time awakens in me an aching for eternal significance. It’s the longing in all of us, evident in literature, entertainment, and deathbeds. It’s the prayer of Psalm 90:17 “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!” In the short span of “toil and trouble” (Psalm 90:10) called life, can anything I do last eternally? Jesus says, “Yes.”
“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. […] If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. […] You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide…” (John 15:5, 7, 8, 16)
Jesus hand picked me to bear fruit for Him—fruit that lasts, that abides, that lives forever. So there’s only one way to make an impact in this life that lasts for all eternity, and not just the next few generations. Abide in Jesus and His Word, and you’ll bear fruit that abides. Abide in Jesus, and He will answer the prayer of Psalm 90:17 for you.
My BDay Prayer:
Father,
Thank You that despite the curse of toilsome labor, You empower me through Jesus (who wore the curse’s thorns on His head even as He defeated it on the cross) to bear fruit that cannot die, fruit that brings You glory. I ask primarily, then, that You would keep me constantly close to Jesus, the true vine, because apart from Him I can do nothing. But abiding in Him, I will pray prayers aligned with Your heart, Your character, Your mission. In this way, may You form in me a more perfect image of Your Son. And establish the work of my hands. Yes, establish the work of my hands.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
