You Are Cherished
Have you ever realized that it would dishonor God to abandon you?
Verse of the Day
‘The Lord will not abandon his people, because that would dishonor his great name. For it has pleased the Lord to make you his very own people.’
Today’s Devotional
If you are not abandoned by God, then what are you? What is the opposite of abandoned?
According to thesaurus.com, the opposite of abandoned is: cherished, adopted, defended, supported. So let’s follow that train of thought. God cherishes you. God has adopted you. God defends you. God supports you.
There is very clear and plain language in this verse. It would dishonor God to abandon you. And God is not capable of dishonoring Himself. Therefore, you are not, cannot be, and never will be abandoned by God. Period.
Look at the second sentence in this verse. It pleases God to make you His own. God claiming you as His own is pleasing to Him. Growing up, I thought that not sinning was what pleased God. And don’t get me wrong, I believe our obedience is pleasing to Him. But look at this verse! It makes God smile that you belong to Him. So maybe it’s not who I am that matters. Maybe it’s Who I belong to that makes all the difference.
If it pleases God to make me His very own, then perhaps it is also pleasing to Him for me to truly believe that I am His. Maybe the pursuit to truly believe my God-given identity is part of the faith journey that makes God smile.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
How has God cherished you?
How has God defended you?
How does God support you?
How does it affect you that it pleases God to claim you as His own?