The Lord shall count, when he writeth up the people, that this man was born there. – Psalm 87:6
My birthplace is Seattle, Washington. My birth certificate bears a picture of the large downtown hospital where I was born. Even though there have been additions to that building through the years, you could go to Seattle today and recognize it from the photograph.
Now I am a grandparent, but I can still recall vividly the births of all my children. Each one was a little different, and each one was very special to my wife and me. My job was to get on the phone and notify friends and relatives that we had a new little son or daughter. It was an exciting time! I once reflected to my wife that considering how eventful and even traumatic a birth is, it is amazing to realize that every person in this world was born at some time or other!
The relatively short Psalm 87 states three times (in so many words) that “this man was born there.” It is speaking literally of Zion—the key hilltop in the city of Jerusalem. By extension, however, the emphasis is on the spiritual birth. As Jesus said to Nicodemus, he and anyone else who aspires to go to Heaven must be “born again.” Obviously we were all born physically, but we must experience the spiritual birth to become a member of God’s family.
For those who have been born of the Spirit, God is somewhat like the proud father of a newborn. Can you hear Him announcing, “This man was born there”? Some people mistakenly envision God as a tyrant just waiting to punish people. Not so; God is a gracious heavenly Father. He lovingly and longingly waits for people to come to Him for the new birth. He anticipates teaching and spending time with us, and is personally interested in our success. We have no better support than our Father in Heaven.
Considering how miraculous the experience of salvation is, it is amazing to think that each person who will be in Heaven will have been individually called and saved by God. Testimony services give us only a glimpse of how much God has done for man. Do you know where you were born of the Spirit? Do you remember when it happened? If you are not sure, God is calling you. He wants to be able to tell the world that “this man (or woman, boy or girl) was born there.”