There is a song I really like from the album ‘I Am 2’, a Messianic Praise song titled Baruch Hashem Adonai (or Blessed be the name of the Lord.) I can’t stop thinking about its words right now. Here are a couple lines from the first two stanzas. Who am I to be part of your people
The ones that are called by your name…
How can a stranger a remnant of nations
Belong to the royal line…
Who am I to belong to God’s family, to be His child? It seems like I can never live up to being worthy of such an honour. Truly, I can never be ‘worthy’ of salvation by the blood of Jesus Christ because there is nothing I ever did, nor ever can do, that would be grounds for me to deserve freedom from my death penalty (due to my sin). My Father bestowed mercy and grace upon me despite my sin. I deserved it not; certainly no more than any other.
My Father gave me His name.
His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by sending Jesus Christ to die for us. And he did this because he wanted to! (Eph. 1:5 TLB)
After we adopted our children, we legally changed their last names to ours. They became part of our family and were to be called by our name. They had full rights as our children: rights of provision, protection, and participation. They are the inheritors of all we own. If we had given birth to them, they would be no different to us, either legally, or emotionally. Just like Adam said, “bone of my bones, flesh of my flesh”… At one time I was a stranger to my Father. (Webster 1828 lists these under definitions of stranger: A foreigner; one who belongs to another country. One unacquainted. One not admitted to any communication or fellowship.) I was a foreigner to God until I was 16. I still held citizenship in the devil’s country. I was not acquainted with God; I did not understand who He was, or realize His importance in my life. Until I surrendered my life to Him, we had no communication or fellowship- and I didn’t even know He wanted it!
So, now I belong to the royal line: a child of God, called by His name, given entrance into His family with all rights and privileges included. Who am I to be a part of the greatest family in all eternity? Who am I to bear the name of the Creator of the entire universe? Who am I to be grafted into the noblest of lines? Who am I to be given such mercy and grace?
Today I feel very undeserving.