For most people the desire to “belong” is one that leads to both wholesome and questionable choices. In high school, I had an uncomfortable pair of combat boots from an army surplus store. Not because they looked good or served much purpose but because a group of people that I wanted to be associated with wore them. There were some in this group that made decisions and choices that I, thankfully, was able to avoid. But I still wanted to belong.
This power of belonging is rooted in our very existence and continued survival, both in high school and the other wilds of the world. As a Marriage and Family Therapist, I spend much of my clinical work helping people work through the disconnections they’ve experienced and finding ways to reconnect in healthier ways. My work says that all of our experiences in life are either made better or worse by the connections and belonging we feel.
To read this portion of David’s prayer is to feel the power and weight of belonging to God. As I read through this scripture, I was drawn to that feeling of belonging and was reminded of the desires of our hearts to be connected, both to one another but ultimately to God. Now, anyone who has read the story of the Israelites and King David knows that belonging to God does not either inhibit suffering or prevent pain. The groaning and weight of sin is felt by all humanity. But the hope is this: We belong to God. We are not alone. The Servant was sent. The House was built. We are invited in because we belong.
Canaan Crane