Kingdom MasculinitySample

Day 6: How I’m Known in Heaven

There is a quiet ache that many men carry, a longing to be seen, known, and called out as someone who matters. We crave the words, “You are enough. I see you. You are my beloved son.” For most of us, there was no sacred ceremony, no sword laid on the shoulder, no moment when a man stepped forward and said, “You have what it takes.”

Instead, we were left to guess. We performed. We chased approval.

And when that didn’t work, we hardened our hearts or hid.

This ache is not just personal, it’s generational. Our fathers and grandfathers often bore their own invisible and silent wounds. Many were never validated or initiated themselves, and so they passed down what they knew: silence, distance, or performance-based approval. It wasn’t out of malice; it was simply what they had received. The absence of affirmation became an inherited legacy. As Michael Thompson writes, “Most men are uninitiated, moving through life without ever having heard the words every son longs for.” (The Heart of a Warrior)

But here’s the good news: the Father’s voice is not bound by earthly silence.

At Jesus’ baptism, before He performed a single miracle or preached a single sermon, heaven opened and the Father declared: “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)

It was not performance, it was identity.
And through Jesus, that same voice now calls to you:

You are My son. You are loved. I delight in you.

1 John 3:1 reminds us: “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”

You are not merely tolerated. You are not overlooked. You are not just a sinner saved by grace, you are a beloved son, deeply seen and fiercely loved.

This is not a myth. This is reality.
In Narnia, Aslan called the children by name, and in doing so, He awakened their true selves. In Middle-earth, Aragorn bore the name Elessar, not just as a title, but as a destiny.

And so, it is with you. You are named. You are known.
The voice of your true Father breaks every false narrative, every lie.

This is the fathering you were meant to receive.
And now, by grace, you can.

As you reflect on all this with God today, consider asking Him:

Father, in my story what were the words that I longed to hear growing up?

Jesus, how would my life change if I fully believed that I am loved and named by the Father?

Holy Spirit, what does it mean that God is pleased with me, even before I perform?

Guided Prayer suggestion:

“Father, I bring You the ache that no man ever named. I long to hear Your voice. Speak to my heart, to the little boy still wondering if he matters. Heal what was never spoken. Cancel every false name I’ve answered to and anchor me in the truth: I am Your beloved son. Let that truth echo in my soul until it becomes the foundation I live from. Amen.”