Abide

During the Last Supper, Jesus promised His disciples that after His death, the Father would send them “another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever” (John 14:16). Then, using a metaphor of a vine with branches, He taught them that abiding is a two-way street:

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

John 15:4-5

The original meaning of the word “abide” is to remain or to wait. In the King James Version of the Bible, the term is often associated with living somewhere or with visiting for an extended period of time. Mary “abode” with her cousin Elizabeth for about three months while she was pregnant (Luke 1:56). The man with a legion of devils didn’t abide in any house before Jesus healed him (Luke 8:27). At the end of Jesus’ life, He taught in the temple during the day and “abode in…the mount of Olives” by night (Luke 21:37).

In modern English, the word has other meanings:

• To comply with (“We must abide by the rules.”)
• To tolerate or put up with (“I cannot abide foolishness.”)
• To continue without fading (“I have an abiding love for music.”)

Although these are all slightly different from the original meaning, they all convey the idea of persistence and endurance. And the first of these definitions is closely related to Jesus’ description of how to abide in Him:

If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

John 15:10

Two of my favorite verses in the Book of Mormon feature the word “abide.” In the first, Mormon expresses the hope that God will be with his son Moroni as their society crumbles around them. In the second, Moroni expresses the same hope for us, his future readers. In both sentences, the verbs “be and abide” are delayed by multiple descriptions of God. To me, this deferred gratification injects a sense of poignancy and permanency into each sentence:

• Mormon: “And may the grace of God the Father, whose throne is high in the heavens, and our Lord Jesus Christ, who sitteth on the right hand of his power, until all things shall become subject unto him, be, and abide with you forever” (Moroni 9:26).
• Moroni: “And now, I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever” (Ether 12:41).

On the road to Emmaus, two disciples walked with the resurrected Savior. Even though they didn’t recognize Him, they loved being with Him and didn’t want their time together to end. As they stopped for the evening, they said, “Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent” (Luke 24:29). Two hymns based on this passage convey this heartfelt sentiment: “Abide with Me!” and “Abide with Me; ’Tis Eventide.” I love both hymns, but as I’ve thought today about the metaphor of the vine, I’ve wanted to expand my song to include both pleading and commitment: “Abide in me, and I will abide in Thee!”

Today I will be grateful for the permanent relationship the Savior offers to me, represented by the word “abide.” I will strive to remain close to Him by keeping His commandments and by spending time with Him in prayer.