“My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people.” —Ezekiel 37:27
For twenty-eight years I underestimated what it meant to belong. Being together with the people of our church was our way of life in the Dominican Republic. Much of my identity and foundation came from being well known and deeply loved.
After multiple moves to different countries and cultures, I couldn’t quite find “our people.” While I did form relationships that were a blessing, my longing to belong wasn’t fulfilled in the way I had hoped.
One day as I read Isaiah 51:12–16, the Lord broke into my soul. When I read the phrase, “You are my people” (v. 16), I burst into tears. I had been yearning to hear other people say clearly, “You guys are our people.” But that day I heard God Himself tell me, “You are Mine!”
When the Lord says in Ezekiel that His dwelling place will be with us, He is giving us the gift of living His life with us. In Christ, my longing to belong is satisfied!
Make it Personal
How can you look to Jesus instead of other people to satisfy the longing to belong?