Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. Isaiah 43:1
There’s nothing worse than being parented by someone who is not good and who, ultimately, has it in for me. Every decision made on my behalf carries questionable motives. But there’s nothing better than belonging to Abba. He sincerely loves me. Every decision He makes concerning me flows from that love. With Him, I can finally breathe, no longer wondering whether He will change His mind about me. There was no honeymoon stage. It started well, and it will end well.
Some children live every day in fear as fickle parents demand performance for the privilege of belonging. Others exist in marriages where an unstable spouse turns love off and on like a faucet. You never know which version of that person you will encounter in the morning. Belonging to someone in either of these settings can feel like a prison sentence.
Oh, but daughter of God, you never need fear belonging to Abba. He loved you before you ever loved Him. You were precious to Him when your heart was still turned away. He gave His Son to make your adoption possible. His love is not sustained by your performance, so your failure cannot dismantle it. Once He sets His covenant love upon His child, He does not become fickle.
Finally, you and I have a place to belong that is wonderful. No matter how out of step we are with our world, we know where home is. No matter how poorly we fit within our earthly families, there is a family in which our belonging is settled. No matter what powerful person rejects us here, there is another kingdom more real and more permanent than this one. God calls us by name and says, “You are Mine.” He is a jealous God, and His jealousy can be trusted because it is holy. He guards what He loves.
The spiritual orphan lives as though everything depends upon being chosen again today. Each day is “good” or “bad” according to who loves her and who does not. She wanders from person to person looking for somewhere to belong. She peers through the windows of seemingly happy homes and wonders what it would feel like to live inside one.
Ah, but she already has a home in God. Nothing can shake loose the terms of her adoption or undo her spiritual birthright. Heaven’s legal papers were permanently signed in red.
At my new birth, Jesus took my hand and drew me out of exile. His voice pierced something ancient in my soul, and He brought me home to His Abba Father. The effect was thunder. The call was a whisper.
I am Yours and You are mine! I will forever speak of the wonder of belonging to You. Amen
