Psalm 95:6-7 Come, let us bow down in worship,
    let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
for he is our God
    and we are the people of his pasture,
    the flock under his care.

This Psalm is certainly proof that verse divisions were added long after the Bible was written and compiled, because it makes no sense for the next line to be included in verse 7, instead of being attached to the following verse. That said, this is a dearly loved Psalm, set to music and often sung. I for one certainly can’t read it without the melody running through my mind! However, that’s not a bad thing, because it’s a very blessed exhortation. Being reminded that we belong to God should give us peace and joy, because we have a very fundamental need to belong. Loneliness is a very difficult thing to deal with. It has always seemed a little odd that the Psalmist chose to say, “people of His pasture and sheep of His hand,” rather than the other way around. However, the metaphor of God being our Shepherd already had deep roots at the time this was written, so maybe it’s not so strange. We today have little exposure to the interaction between sheep and shepherds, but there are a lot of interesting examples on YouTube, and they can give us insight. I find it very moving that though sheep are often disobedient, as Isaiah 53:6 points out, they will congregate to their shepherd in times of need or danger, and they indeed know his voice. We need to focus on getting to know our Shepherd better, recognizing His voice and repenting of our disobedience.

I have certainly felt the need to belong, growing up as a Caucasian in Japan, a Missionary Kid attending a US military dependents school. I’m thankful that I had a strong, healthy family to belong to, in contrast to so many people today. The need to belong is a major driver behind the existence of gangs. Most of the people in those gangs don’t have the kind of family I did. That said, my most important belonging is to the family of God. That, after all, is eternal. I am blessed indeed that I expect to join, or be joined by, my immediate family in heaven, and I grieve for those who don’t have that assurance. My task and my privilege while I am in this life is to invite all who will come to join me in God’s family, to experience the belonging that transcends every other kind.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the privilege of welcoming our newest member. At 100, she feels like she has no family, and her joy at belonging to You, and us, is beautiful to see. I continue to pray for my friend who doesn’t feel he’s worthy to belong. I ask You to reveal Your love to him so that he may repent of running from You and believe, for his salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!