Abide
A Poem Inspired By John 15 And A Recent Retreat Day
Photo by John Thomas on Unsplash
The following poem was inspired by the words of the Christ in the fifteenth chapter of John’s gospel and by an excellent retreat day I had the privilege of attending recently in the company of cherished friends and fellow worship leaders.
During the retreat day, which was facilitated by the wonderful team at Evergreen Worship, we were encouraged to meditate and reflect upon the following words of Jesus:
“Remain in me, as I also remain in you.”
John 15:4 (NIV)
As we sang, worshipped and shared together, I took a moment to pray and remind myself that I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit that will last. I then found myself reaching for my pen and notebook.
“Abide” was written under the acute conviction that none of us can hope to bear any meaningful or beautiful fruit outside of the Christ. As you read this, my prayer is that you will respond to the divine invitation that has been personally extended to you and that you will discover the freedom, friendship and fruitfulness that comes from abiding in the true vine. There is no greater abode than God himself.
Abide
Foretaste of heaven in seraphic songs.
Foresight of heaven in saccharine smiles.
Foresound of heaven in sweet harmonies.
Foretouch of heaven in thickness of peace.
Foresmell of heaven in fragrance of prayer.
This is what it means to abide.
Lost in abandon but never abandoned.
Tangibly tethered; irrepressibly free.
Thickest of roots in the earth underneath.
Thicket of roots in the clouds above me.
Roots plumbing depths which the eyes cannot see.
This is what it means to abide.
Embracing the stillness of still, cooling waters.
Remembering rest in the greenest of pastures—
Resisting the rhythms of rush.
Showing my pain to the nail–scarred hands.
The courage to kneel and the weakness to stand.
This is what it means to abide.
Housing my longings in holy museums.
Chosen and charmed to yield good fruit.
Evergreen and ever–leaning on the Everlasting
Arms that cut, comfort, plant and prune.
Budding and blossoming, bending and dying.
This is what it means to abide.
Learning to grow in my leverage to love.
Culling displays for currying praise.
A naked unmasking; the death of pretence.
A bleeding of colours on a grace–splintered fence.
Remaining in him who remains in our mess.
This is what it means to abide.
This poem was generated by the author’s human mind with zero AI / LLM involvement.
What do you think of this poem? I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to leave a comment below:
Did you see last week’s poem? You can read “The Calling Of Saint Matthew” via the link below:
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Matthew White is a priest, poet and songwriter living and working in beautiful West Sussex on the south coast of England. His debut book, ‘Propelled into Wonder,’ was released in 2024 to wide acclaim (Wipf and Stock Publishers) and is an original collection of poetry featuring hand–drawn illustrations and honest reflections on grief, beauty, leadership and faith. Matthew is married to Sarah and together they attempt to parent 3 beautiful children and 1 silly dog! You can connect with Matthew by subscribing to Idle and Blessed Poetry on Substack, by visiting his website and joining the mailing list, or by following him on Instagram.
All the senses engaged…deep roots, loved the imagery of pruning, yet comfort in the mail scarred hands, the tension of tethered, yet free, so much beauty!
Wonderful, you took me on your retreat. I love it, may I share?