“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17
Printed in our church’s worship guide this week is a statement by Henri Nouwen about our status as God’s beloved. This was the theme of the worship time which was led by our choir and orchestra. That experience reminded us that as followers of Jesus we are all the beloved of God. The following is what Nouwen wrote:
“One of the greatest ongoing revelations for our lives in that, in Christ, we are beloved children of God. This truth far exceeds any earthly titles or positions. It should minimize the pain of the insults and failures of our lives. It should fill us with faith and assurance that we still have an eternal purpose in the midst of our pain, and value in the face of the vicissitudes of life. It should energize us and strengthen us. During every trial, during every dark day, let the Holy Spirit whisper the Father’s voice in our hearts saying, You Are My Beloved Child.”
That statement when understood properly has a way of taking our breath away. It is what we long to hear more than any other thing. At the same time it seems beyond us. The fact that Jesus is called God’s beloved Son makes sense. After all, he’s Jesus. Of course, He would be beloved. And then there’s John, one of the disciples of Jesus. His favorite self-designation is to refer to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved. Again, he’s a disciple and a faithful one at that. It’s fine for him to be called one of God’s beloved.
But when we come to us, we aren’t so sure. Assuming that we believe God loves us, it still feels presumptuous to think of ourselves as being the beloved of God. Worse is the fact that at times we don’t feel worthy of being beloved. These are the moments when we have a lapse of faithfulness – perhaps even a season of lapses. When that happens, we feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit who leads us to turn to God in confession where we seek His forgiveness. Assuming again that we trust what the scriptures tell us about God’s mercy, we believe that He has forgiven us. But being one of His beloved? Probably not. Tolerated, maybe. But not beloved. In our minds we’re not good enough, faithful enough, consistent enough, anything enough to merit such a designation.
But the scriptures remind us that our status before God isn’t based on our performance. We don’t become God’s beloved, because we earned it. We’re beloved, because we’re His children. It’s a gift – a gift that isn’t repossessed, because we haven’t kept up our faithfulness payments. The fact that we are the beloved is affirmed over and over again in the scriptures. In Romans 5:1 Paul refers to believers as beloved children. In I John 3 the apostle reminds us that we are fully loved by God and are His children – the beloved.
So you may not always act like the beloved that you are, but that doesn’t change who you are. Because of Christ, you are the beloved of God. Owning that for yourself will empower you to walk in its wonder, because you will be less attracted to the inferior loves that are always vying for your affections.
Likewise, there are times when we don’t feel like we’re the beloved of God, because our circumstances are trying. When dark days come and our situation is especially painful, we may feel more like the abandoned of God than His beloved. Even if we know better, we just assume that if God really loved us, He wouldn’t allow this painful thing to happen or to continue. We’re looking for a rescue from the lions’ den like Daniel, but no rescue comes. During such days, we find ourselves wondering who we really are in God.
When this happens, let us remember that Jesus, God’s beloved Son, is also described as a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He is the one who walks through the valley of the shadow of death with us. He is the one who stands beside sealed tombs and weeps with those who weep. He is the one who is moved with compassion when He looks upon our suffering. Why? Because we are the beloved of God.
So if you are going through a difficult time – perhaps one that feels like it’s going to crush the life out of you, remember that you are still the beloved of God. He is with you in your pain to suffer with you and give you the grace to persevere.
Reflecting on this great truth, Nouwen in his book, The Return of the Prodigal, reminds us once more of who we are in Christ as God’s beloved and the blessed difference this makes in each of us.
“Home is the center of my being where I can hear the voice that says: ‘You are my Beloved, on you my favor rests’ – the same voice that gave life to the first Adam and spoke to Jesus, the second Adam; the same voice that speaks to all of the children of God and sets them free to live in the midst of a dark world while remaining in the light. I have heard that voice. It has spoken to me in the past and continues to speak to me now. It is the never-interrupted voice of love speaking from eternity and giving life and love whenever it is heard. When I hear that voice, I know that I am home with God and have nothing to fear. As the beloved of my heavenly Father, ‘I can walk in the valley of darkness: no evil would I fear….’ As the Beloved, I can confront, console, admonish, and encourage without fear of rejection or need for affirmation. As the Beloved, I can suffer persecution without desire for revenge and receive praise without using it as proof of my goodness. As the Beloved, I can be tortured and killed without ever having to doubt that the love that is given to me is stronger than death.”
May each of us listen to that voice. For when we do, we will be reminded of who we really are – God’s beloved.