Abide

Christy Nockels' “Abide” is a prayer of dependence. The first verse lists ordinary things she relies on God for: her waking breath, her daily bread, the sun rising and her sleep at night. After each pair of lines she sings the same answer, “I depend on You.”

The chorus uses the words of Jesus about himself. “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.” The second verse looks ahead, asking for the Spirit's leading as she follows and trusting in victories still in front of her. The bridge is a short set of requests to be given strength, a song in the night, and to have God as her all, her treasure and her prize. The last verse moves to the end of life, saying that when she passes through death and enters rest she will still depend on him for eternal life, to be raised with Christ. The song is steady and gentle, with the word abide returning as the main request. It fits quiet gatherings, morning prayer and seasons when someone feels pulled in many directions and wants to stay close to the source.

The vine and the branches are in John 15:5. The way, the truth and the life is John 14:6, and a spring of living water is John 4:14.