“I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.”
John 17:9
What a magnificent thought—that God looks to us, to each of us who are in Christ, and declares, “This one is mine.”
Walk with me a moment and allow the truth of this statement—this declaration of belonging—to fill your heart.
You are His, and Jesus, your living Savior, is interceding for you. (Romans 8:34)
You are His, and you are loved not because of what you bring to the equation, but simply because of who God is. Which means that it isn’t dependent on what you do; it is dependent on your God who is unchanging, your God who can never lie, and who has promised that His love to those who are His is everlasting. (Deuteronomy 7:6-8; Hebrews 6:17-18; Jeremiah 31:3)
You are His, and He has promised to never leave you. He has promised to never forsake you. He has promised to never cast you aside and never forget you. You are His, and He has engraved your name on His hands—hands that were willingly stretched out and pierced for your sake. (Joshua 1:5; Isaiah 41:9, 49:15-16)
You are His, and He will faithfully shepherd this sheep. He will lead you to green pastures and still waters, and will walk with you through the valley of the shadow of death. He will lead you when you cannot see the way before you, smoothing the rough ground and turning your darkness to light. (Psalm 23:1-4; Isaiah 42:16)
You are His, and if ever you are lost He will seek you out. If you stray, He will bring you back. If you are injured, He will bind up your wounds, and when you are weak, He will strengthen you in His great might. (Ezekiel 34:16a)
“The Lord knows those who are His” (2 Timothy 2:19). This is the beautiful reality we will never lose. Because once we are in Christ, He will never let us lose Him. We are forever grasped tightly in His hand and nothing can break His hold on us. He is our Keeper, and He will never let us go. (John 10:27-30)
In Pleasant Places 