By Chris Whittington

“For in him we live, and move, and have our being.” – Acts 17:28

Andrew Murray, A. W. Tozer, and Frank Laubach each lived in different times and circumstances, yet their lives point to one powerful truth: communion with God is not something reserved for a select few but a daily reality available to every believer. Their writings and testimonies challenge us to move beyond religious routine and learn what it means to continually abide in God’s presence.

Andrew Murray returned often to the simple word “abide.” Drawing from Jesus’ teaching in John 15:4, where He says, “Abide in me, and I in you,” Murray emphasized that spiritual fruitfulness does not come primarily from human effort. A branch does not struggle to produce grapes; it produces fruit because it remains connected to the vine. In the same way, guidance, strength, and spiritual fruit are the natural result of remaining connected to Christ. Murray challenged believers to abandon the exhausting cycle of striving and failure and instead develop a steady dependence upon God.

A. W. Tozer addressed another problem: the difference between knowing about God and actually knowing Him. Tozer believed many Christians had settled for intellectual knowledge and religious activity while missing the reality of God’s presence. He called believers to develop a deep hunger for God Himself. Rather than being satisfied with religious routines, Tozer encouraged people to seek genuine communion with the living God. For him, hunger for God was not a sign of spiritual weakness but evidence that God was drawing a person deeper into relationship with Him.

Frank Laubach approached communion with God through what he called an experiment: learning to consciously keep God in mind throughout the ordinary moments of his day. He acknowledged that distraction made this difficult, but he discovered that repeatedly turning his attention toward God gradually became more natural. His experience demonstrated that abiding does not require escaping everyday life. Instead, we can learn to engage our responsibilities while remaining conscious of God’s presence.

These three men shared a common conviction: God desires relationship, not merely religious activity. None discovered an easy shortcut to spiritual depth. Their lives were shaped by repeated choices to turn their attention toward God, depend upon Him, and return to His presence when they became distracted.

If we want to experience the kind of communion they described, we must do more than admire their writings. We must practice what they practiced. Abiding begins in the ordinary moments of our lives—choosing to turn our hearts toward God, listen for His voice, depend upon His strength, and remain connected to Christ. As we learn to abide, we discover that God’s presence is not something we occasionally enter; it is a reality in which we are invited to live every day.

*Chris is the founding pastor at Living Water Worship Center. He and his wife Jennifer have two sons, Eli and Abram.