Beloved…
I am very grateful, to be living in a beloved kingdom. “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.” Col. 1:13 To be “beloved” means to be: admired, cherished, treasured, the apple of one’s eye. This is who we are in Christ. You are a beloved son, a beloved daughter.
Apple of the Eye…
“He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.” Deut. 32:10 “Little man of his eye,” is a more literal Hebrew translation, referring to the reflection of oneself seen in the eye of another person. It is good for us to seek God in prayer for this place of security. “Keep me as the apple of the eye; hide me in the shadow of Your wings.” Ps. 17:8 This is the protected nest where God’s beloved ones are kept safe.
Abiding Protection…
The high priestly prayer of Jesus in the Gospel of John is a rich expression of the infinite heart of Christ for His bride. The last verse is a tender summary of one aspect of His mission: “I have made Your name known to them, and will continue to make it known, so that the love with which You have loved Me may be in them[overwhelming their heart], and I [may be] in them.” Jn. 17:26 (AMP) Keeping my heart postured to receive this ongoing revelation, growing in my knowing, is a beloved anchor for my heart.
“I am no longer in the world; yet they are still in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, so that they may be one just as We are. While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and protected them.” Jn. 17:11-12 Jesus was keeping the disciples under the protection of the name that the Father gave to Him – “beloved.”
Beloved Son…
When Jesus was coming up out of the waters of baptism, “a voice came out of the heavens: ‘You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.’” Mk. 1:11 I believe this name, and it’s profound efficacy, “kept” Jesus throughout his life. He was the apple of Father’s eye, marked and sealed as a beloved one. We hear the name again on a high mountain, in a glorious encounter: “Then a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, ‘This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!’” As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus began to point to another intimate encounter He would have with Abba, speaking of His redemptive suffering. Only this time it would not be the Father speaking of belovedness, but the Son.
“They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Sit here while I pray.’ He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,’ he said to them. ‘Stay here and keep watch.’ Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. ‘Abba, Father,’ he said, ‘everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.’” Mk. 14:32-36 Never straying from the sequestered station of belovedness in which He always abided, Jesus calls God “Abba”, on the precipice of feeling utterly forsaken. What a keeping love this is!
Birthing and Growing…
Beloved son, beloved daughter, you will always be “kept” by the name “beloved.” One of our fathers in the faith, the Apostle Paul, was interceding for a people that lost their way and strayed from this truth. He reminded them, “Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” Gal. 4:6 Paul went on to say, “My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you.” Gal. 4:19 Being “re-centered” is like breathing; it’s not optional. The new birth is not the only birthing experience of the Christian life.
Praying Still…
“Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?…No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demon…neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Rom. 8:34-39
“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Heb. 1:3 “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever.” Heb. 6:19-20 Jesus is still praying, still keeping us protected. “Beloved” is what the Father spoke over Him and He speaks it now, over you.
Unbroken Union…
In the river, on the mountain, in the garden, “beloved” endures the seasons. Baptized, transfigured, crushed – all while in unbroken union with the Father. First, the inauguration seasons; fresh and new. God incarnate, humbly followed the “prepared” way, into the wilderness of the Jordan River Valley. The river encounter marked the launch of Christ into ministry while John the Baptist would soon transition to his own garden of suffering. Second, the renewal seasons, overshadowed by glory, pregnant with holy emotion, nice places to camp out. (Peter thought so.) But while coming down the mountain of glory, Jesus had the third season on his mind.
Crushed and refined do not strike us as “beloved” words. They don’t mix well with feeling cherished, treasured, and protected. Yet it was the deep resource of knowing He was the Beloved Son, Abba’s begotten, that enabled Jesus to drink the cup of suffering in the garden. Only a small percentage of disciples have followed Christ’s footsteps into literal death, but we have all visited Gethsemane, to navigate the depths of separation, our will from His. The deeper wells of beloved joy find their release in the inner sanctum of surrender.