A Prayer about the Longing to Belong
And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. (Rom. 1:6 NIV)
Gracious Jesus, so much of life is about the desire and delights of belonging. From the day we offered our first cry as a newborn baby, our deep longing for attention, attachment, and affection have been patently obvious.
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 relationship context: friendships, work, romance. Wanting to belong is a constant theme.
And yet “the belonging of all belongings” is found only in relationship with you, 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 can grieve the loss and bring the wounds to you.
We are “called” to belong— not merely invited, but subpoenaed into an eternal life of being wanted, desired, known, loved, celebrated, and enjoyed. We are “called” to belong—not owned like a new car but connected like a new bride. Lord Jesus, you have purchased us with the price of your life, and your love for us, alone, is better than life. We belong, now and forever, to you! Help me, help us, to come more fully alive to our “belongingness” in you, Jesus. We pray in your gracious name.
Amen.