“The voice of the Lord is over the waters, the Lord, over vast waters. The voice of the Lord is mighty; the voice of the Lord is majestic.” – Psalm 29: 3-4
This scene of the Baptism of the Lord (Matthew 3:13-17) is one of the few times when we hear directly from God the Father. His voice resounds over the waters of the Jordan and reveals Jesus’s identity: “And a voice came from the heavens, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased'” (Matthew 3:17). One of the other times we hear the voice of the Father is at the Transfiguration of Jesus where He asserts this same fact once again: “…from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him'” (Matthew 17:5).
Immediately after His baptism, the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by Satan (see Matthew 4:1). Notice the language Satan used to try and manipulate Jesus; he tried twice to tempt Jesus to prove His Sonship: “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread” (Matthew 4:3), and “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down…” (Matthew 4:6). It’s almost as if Satan said: “Do something to prove who you are.” Jesus resisted all of the devil’s temptations because His identity was rock solid. He knew He was God’s beloved Son. He had nothing to prove.
Through our own baptisms, we have become adoptive sons and daughters of God the Father (see CCC 1265). Jesus has become our brother. The heavens were opened for us, and from heaven, God looked down upon us and said, “This is my beloved son/daughter _______ (your name here), with whom I am well pleased.” Other voices try to define who we are. Think of the cruel and untrue names that people may have called you in the past. These are lies we can renounce. It might sound like, “I renounce the lie that I am stupid/worthless/ugly/unlovable…(whatever “name” came to your mind.) I declare the truth that I am God’s child and He loves me completely. He delights in me.”
“Baptism not only purifies from all sins, but also makes the neophyte ‘a new creature,’ an adopted son of God, who has become a ‘partaker of the divine nature,’ member of Christ and coheir with him, and a temple of the Holy Spirit.” – CCC 1265
Now think of the ways we try to define ourselves. We can put pressure on ourselves to be something more than who we really are. We can subconsciously strive to prove that we are good enough to be loved through our achievements or status. We try to “earn” our belonging to other people and to God. But that’s getting it backwards. We already belong to Him (Romans 14:8). We don’t have to do anything to prove who we are. We are His beloved children. God’s voice is proof enough. The baptismal grace we received through baptism means we can claim the same identity as Jesus, allowing us to resist temptation, renounce the lies of Satan and the world, and live as “children of the light” (Ephesians 5:8).
Abba, Father, help me live from this place of truth that I am Your beloved daughter. Help me identify and renounce any lies that keep me from believing in my belovedness.