The Heidelberg Catechism is a wonderful statement of biblical truth, and parents do well to use it with their children to have the teaching of Scripture fixed in their minds from the earliest years.

The catechism begins with the following question. I have only given the first part of the answer.

Question 1. What is your only comfort in life and death?

Answer: That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head...

This wonderful answer points out that the believer in Jesus "belongs" to the Saviour. Every student of human behaviour will assure you that people are programmed with the need to belong.

This is what makes marriage such a beautiful institution.

Two people pledge themselves to each other until death parts them. They assure each other that the commitment is strong enough to withstand any trials. They say their love will never cease. This is perhaps the most complete, enduring commitment anyone can make to another person.

There is enormous security that comes to the marriage partners as they hear their partner make such strong and enduring statements. This sense of belonging to another person is wonderfully comforting. Yet, we know that humans all too often will break their promise of living together for a lifetime, and the marriage ends in divorce as one partner goes off to make similar promises to someone else.

This is where the "marriage" of the individual to Jesus is very different.

The Lord has paid the supreme price to demonstrate His love for His people. He died to deliver them from the consequences of their sins.

Love has never been as costly as the love of Jesus for His people.

This is why we can be comforted in all our trials. Not even a hair of our head can fall to the ground without the approval of the Father. We are as safe as the death and resurrection of Jesus can make us. Listen to the following words and find the comfort you need right now.

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 demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 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.
Romans 8:37-39 (NIV)