I Belong By Ed McDowell

I Belong and So Do You

Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny.

Psalms 73:23-‬24 NLT

The desire to belong is part of every person. We are designed to belong to God, living in a relationship with the creator of everything who knows you and me by name, and desires to spend forever with us.  

We are hardwired to belong to initiatives of redemption and justice that are much greater than us.  We want to make a difference for the good of the world with God.  

Sin sent us on a reckless path of being open to belonging to everything else but God.  At times, it looks like the ways of sin are working and having better results in the world than our efforts of following God are. The writer of Psalm 73 is very open about this.  He writes of the apparent success and healthiness of those who live out evil in this world.  He even questions the wisdom of continuing to belong to God. 

Everything changes when one thing happens:  Coming into the presence of God.  Read what the psalmist writes: “Then I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood…” Psalms 73:17a NLT.

With God, the psalmist understood that evil ends up in destruction every time, not matter how good it looks.  Jealousy and envy were actually foolishness, causing him to nearly walk away from God.

God in His love reminds the psalmist of His goodness and the delight of being in His presence.  The message that jumps out in God’s presence is I belong, God is with me, leading me to a glorious future.

Reflection

You still belong to God.  Come into His presence these next few days with colleagues and friends.  Share stories of how God is with you, leading and guiding you into an amazing future.  

Let go of the comparisons of envy and bitterness, as they are toxic guides that lead to emptiness and nothing. 

In the presence of God, say with everyone you meet “I belong!”

Encouragement

Even the most devoted and disciplined need the words of this psalmist in a broken world:  “Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny.”   Receive these words for yourself. Speak them over others.  Together, in the presence of God let’s declare I belong! 

Prayer

Father God, You know that at times I  have nearly lost my way with jealousy and envy towards the apparent success of evil.  In those times, I am foolish and misguided.  Thank You for bringing me into Your presence with so many friends and colleagues with this incredible truth: I still belong to You!!! 

Belonging in Jesus, Amen. 

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Ed McDowell is the CEO of Warm Beach Camp. He has extensive experience in overseeing and directing ministry organizations, including stewardship development, personnel and organizational management.

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