Do You KNow Where You Belong?

 

Now these were the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried captive to Babylonia. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town… The whole assembly together was 42,360, 65 besides their male and female servants, of whom there were 7,337, and they had 200 male and female singers. Their horses were 736, their mules were 245, 67 their camels were 435, and their donkeys were 6,720. (Ezra 2:1-2, 64-66 ESV).

 

Yesterday we looked at Elijah and his response to being weary in his journey. God made it very clear to him that he was not abandoned, and all was going just as God wanted for his best good. For us it is important to see our future home and the eternal life Jesus has won for us as the ultimate provision of “home.” Knowing this gives us the ultimate answer to where we belong. The journey is not the end. The end is found in our heavenly home, reunited with all of those whom we have loved and are waiting on us there.

 

In between the verses of our Bible reading today there is a long list of names. Genealogies and other lists like this do not usually make for interesting reading. After all, we know very little about most of the people listed there. Their actions, hopes, and dreams—all of that is lost to history, and we have only their names. But the Bible includes this list because it would help later generations see how they were connected to the exiles and had a place among God’s people in history. Similarly, today, many people have found it meaningful to trace their family tree and learn things about their ancestry that they had never known before. It can help people learn about their identity and even some of the places their ancestors come from.

 

One of the great pictures of salvation in the Bible is that we now belong to the family of God. If you put your faith in Christ, you are adopted as a child of God (cf. Romans 8:14-17; Ephesians 2:19-22). This is good news for everyone! It can also give comfort to anyone who may feel that their past actions have burned bridges with the people around them, or whose families reject their faith in Christ. In Jesus, God has given us a place to belong and a people to belong to. Look to that great promise for you hope and encouragement!