SCRIPTURE FOCUS
John 15:4, 7 - Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 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 (ESV).
PRAYER FOCUS
Jesus paints a beautiful picture of intimacy and dependence in this imagery of the vine and its branches. A branch that becomes cut off from the vine cannot produce grapes because it has been separated from the life that flows in the vine. However, a branch that has a healthy connection to the vine will produce fruit because the life from the vine flows into the branch. As His branches, we produce fruit when we abide or remain in Jesus and allow His words to abide or remain in us.
Brother Lawrence, in his book The Practice of the Presence of God, discusses the profound truth that the individual can experience the presence of God anywhere and at all times. He learned to complete any task – from scrubbing pots in the monastery kitchen to cleaning and repairing his fellow priests’ shoes – with an awareness of God’s love for him and His presence with him. He wrote, “We can do little things for God; I turn the cake that is frying on the pan for love of him, and that done, if there is nothing else to call me, I prostrate myself in worship before him, who has given me grace to work; afterwards I rise happier than a king.”
RESPONSE
What tasks must be accomplished today? Whether they are simple or complicated, skilled or menial, we can ask the LORD for an increased awareness of His presence. As we abide in Him, His life will flow into our daily activities. Consciously or unconsciously, we are continually dependent upon Him. Jesus tells us that “apart from me you can do nothing.”
Becoming more aware of His presence in even the most mundane moments of the day produces increased intimacy with Him. Then – as Jesus said – we can ask what we wish and it will be done for us. We can bring our requests confidently to our Heavenly Father because we have spent time with Him and know what His heart is!
[1] “Brother Lawrence: Practitioner of God’s Presence,” Christianity Today, https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/innertravelers/brother-lawrence.html.
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