My People

They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me wholeheartedly.

Jeremiah 24:7

My sweet friend Faye was telling me about visiting her great-aunt in a nursing home. Her aunt was experiencing the effects of dementia, and she didn’t recognize Faye. But then Faye’s great-aunt said to her, “I know you are my people.”

My people. Such a personal claim of belonging. It sounded so familiar to me, and God recalled to my mind that He refers to us as His people throughout Scripture. “My people” sounded like God speaking through Faye’s great-aunt, and my heart was touched.

When God was directing Moses as His mouthpiece, God would tell him what to say to Pharaoh, and Moses would say it. Over and over Moses told Pharaoh that God said, “Let My people go!” How personal is that?

Even though He was speaking specifically to the Israelite nation in that instance, God adopts all believers in Christ as His people too. We are in God’s immediate family, related to Him forever because of Jesus. Just as God claimed the Israelites, He claims us as His own. And like He did for them, God defends us. He is crazy about us and is always watching out for us as a capable Father.

If you’re in God’s family, you need to take courage in what God says about you: “You are My people!” We live in a hurting world where many people don’t know they can be God’s people too. We can introduce them to our heavenly Father and increase the joy at the family reunion in heaven!

Let’s hear God say to us today in Christ, “You are My people.” Write a note to God about what being a part of His family means to you. Read Colossians 3:12 to see a list of traits of God’s family members.