Everyone, everywhere is longing for something. At the very root of this is our longing to belong. Where do I belong? How do I belong? Do I belong to someone or something? Thankfully, we are given the answer in God's Word: Christ Jesus. We belong with Him, through Him, and to Him.

Zechariah 1:1-6

1 In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo: 2 “The Lord was very angry with your ancestors. 3 Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to Me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty. 4 Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.’ But they would not listen or pay attention to Me, declares the Lord. 5 Where are your ancestors now? And the prophets, do they live forever? 6 But did not My words and My decrees, which I commanded My servants the prophets, overtake your ancestors? “Then they repented and said, ‘The Lord Almighty has done to us what our ways and practices deserve, just as He determined to do.’”

For Adult Homes and Groups

1. Read and pray Psalm 42. 

2. When was the first time you felt you truly belonged somewhere? Where was it and why?

3. What was something you really longed for that you later earned, received, or acquired? How did that feel? Is that feeling still the same now? Did it measure up to your expectations? Why or why not?

4. One of the most famous Christian quotes ever is from St. Augustine: “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.” Can resting in Jesus fulfill our deepest longings? Why or why not?

For Families with Kids

1. Read Luke 15:11-32, Jesus’ Parable of the Prodigal Son. 

2. Then read and memorize Zechariah 1:3: “Thus declares the Lord of hosts: Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts.”

3. Comparing the father in the parable to God our Father in Zechariah, why does God call us to return to Him? What are the blessings of returning to God?