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A Prayer about the Intense Longing to Belong to Jesus

And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. Rom. 1:6

I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine. Song of Songs 6:3

As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you. Isa. 62:5

Gracious Lord Jesus, so much of life is about the desire and delights of belonging. From the day we offered our first cry as newborn babies, our deep longings for attention, attachment, and affection have been patently obvious. This isn’t a bad thing, it’s a “God thing”; but it’s a core reality to be stewarded carefully

We were born into families, and our quest to find our place in our family has been a source of incredible joy for many of us, and multiplied heartbreaks for others. This same story has played out in every other relational context—friendships, work, romance, church, clubs… wanting to belong is a constant theme.

And yet “the belonging of all belongings” is found only in relationship with you, Lord Jesus. I praise you today that the gospel is a calling to belong to you.

The healthiest relationships we enjoy are good gifts to be treasured, but they are only a scent and symbol of what it means to belong to you. And our most painful and disconnected relationships don’t have to define us. We must grieve the loss and bring the wounds to you.

We’re “called” to belong—not merely invited, but subpoenaed into an eternal life of being wanted, desired, known, loved, celebrated, and enjoyed. We’re called to “belong”—not owned like a new car but connected like a new bride. Your banner over us is love; your delight in us is great; your plans for us are beyond all we could ask or imagine.

Lord Jesus, you purchased us with the price of your life, and your love for us, alone, is better than life—more than enough to fill the void, slake the thirst, heal the loss, sooth the ache. By the power of the gospel, help us come more fully alive to our “belongingness” in you. And as we learn to rejoice and rest in your love, free us to love others as you love us. So very Amen we pray, in your gracious and tender name.

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