| “Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.” |
| —Psalm 63:7-8 |
It has always been my theory that those who stay close to God, who maintain open lines of communication with Him, who do everything possible to avoid missing church services, these ones will live in the place of blessing. I think Scripture teaches this, too.
In John 15:7 (KJV), we read:
“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”
Abiding means, sticking around, remaining with Christ at all times, continually clinging to His every word.
Here’s what Charles Spurgeon says about this verse:
All true believers abide in Christ in a sense; but there is a higher meaning, and this we must know before we can gain unlimited power at the throne. “Ask what ye will” is for Enochs who walk with God, for Johns who lie in the Lord’s bosom, for those whose union with Christ leads to constant communion. 1
Like a child who can’t leave his mother’s side, who clings whenever he thinks she will leave him, we should stick close to Christ. The place of answered prayer, blessed communion, even miracles of God’s grace all belong to these people.
When Lazarus died, as is recorded in John 11:32, Mary was rightly upset because Jesus had not come and prevented his death. When Jesus finally did come, and Mary met Him:
“…she fell at his feet and said, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’”
In this situation, it seemed to her that she had tried to cling to Him, but He had left these friends alone in their hour a need.
Yet, the very fact that Jesus came, called for Mary, wept with her and ultimately brought back her brother Lazarus back to life, speaks of her reward for “abiding” or “clinging” to Him.
I like what 18th century commentator, Matthew Henry, wrote about this verse:
“Those that in a day of peace place themselves at Christ’s feet, [as Mary did in Luke 10:39] to receive instructions from him, may with comfort and confidence in a day of trouble cast themselves at his feet with hope to find favor with him.” 2
Thus we see that true friends of Christ stay close to Him in good times as well as bad. Those He knows best, and who know Him best, live in the path of rich blessings, magnificent fellowship, and answered prayer.
May we all draw near to Him in faith and enjoy His peace!
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| 1 Spurgeon, Charles H. Faith’s Checkbook. Chicago: Moody Press, (no copyright date available). |
| 2 Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry’s Commentary. London: MacDonald Publishing Co., (no copyright date available). Vol. V. Pg. 1053 |
