We are His

“Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.” ~Psalm 100:3

When I read this verse a few days ago, I didn’t immediately understand what God was trying to tell me. I had to meditate on it for a whole day or two and ask God why He was insistent on laying this verse upon my heart. As I read it again and again, God eventually revealed the beauty of this verse. One section of the verse that really stood out to me was this; We are His. We do not belong to the world or its hatred. We are no longer slaves to fear. We are not defined by the sin and evil that is running rampant on this earth. We are HIS.

Know that the Lord is God. The psalmist is urging us to reflect on everything God is. He is the Creator of Heaven and Earth. He is the only One who sits on the glorious throne of Heaven. He is sovereign, omnipotent, omniscient. He is God. But what’s equally amazing is that He, being God, looks upon us as His dearly loved children. He is our good, good Father, our unfailing Provider, our perfect Savior. He chooses to walk with us through our trials and He delights greatly in us.

It is He who made us. He created us each uniquely with special gifts, talents, and personalities. He handcrafted each of us individually in His image. Each and every one of us are priceless in His sight. We are His treasured possession, the apple of His eye. He sees us, He knows us, and He loves us.

We are the sheep of His pasture. Just as a shepherd knows each of his sheep, just as he tenderly cares for his sheep, just as he watches over his sheep, so God shepherds us. He never leaves our side because He cares so deeply about us. As we are under God’s watchful care and unfailing protection, we feel safe. We trust our Shepherd. We know His voice. We follow His sovereign leading, knowing that He is good.

I love how the verse says, we are the sheep of His pasture. As God’s children, perfectly loved by Him, we belong to Him. We are His. And as His sheep, as His children, we do not get confused with whose pasture in which we belong. When we roam to other pastures, seeking acceptance or love, our good Shepherd is there to gently remind us of His immeasurable, unconditional love for us. He is there to lead us back to Him for that is where we belong.

As we walk through this life, we can find comfort in the fact that this world is not our home. We do not belong to the hatred, the anger, or the hurt of this world. We have a hope, an eternal future rooted in Heaven. That is where we belong. So as we spend our time here on Earth, no matter how rough the road may get, no matter how scary the storms may seem, we can rejoice. We know that the Lord is God and that He is greater than what we face. We know that He made us special and that He loves us with a love that far surpasses our understanding. We know that we are His treasured sheep, protected when we are in His pasture. We are His and we are safe in His arms.