15 Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. 16 Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me. ~ Isaiah 49:15-16
I know some will say that this portion of Scripture was written to the Jews and for Jerusalem, and they are right. Jerusalem was destroyed and the Jews living there, along with the king and the royal family, all the nobles were taken into captivity. Through all the destruction and sorrow, and pain that they suffered despair began to set in. Zion, another name for Jerusalem, started to complain that the LORD had forsaken them, that their God had forgotten them. So, God sent them a reassuring promise.
God said, look, “Can a nursing mother forget the child of her womb?” Normally, a good mother will never forget the child she bore. But God continued, “Even if she does, it’s highly unlikely, but even if she does forget her child that she is nursing whom she just gave birth to, I will never forget you. I can’t forget you, because I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.” This is referring to Jesus’ crucifixion. The nails that were pounded into the palms of His hands, bursting through blood vessels and coming out on the other side and then driven into the wooden beams of the cross, imprinted, or engraved our names on the palms of His hands.
That is how I know that this promise is for us as well. Because Jesus did not die such a horrific and cruel death as death on a cross for the Jews of Jerusalem only, but for us as well. Therefore, if our names were imprinted, or engraved on the palms of His hands as well, how can He forget us? And if He cannot forget us, that means we are ever in His sight and on His mind.
There is nothing that you are going through, or are experiencing that God does not know about. It may seem like you are in it all alone, and by yourself, but that is a lie from the enemy. Your God is there with you to shield you and to protect you. Yes, you may experience the storm. Yes, you may experience the earthquake, but God is right there just in case you stumble so that you will not fall. He will catch, He will lift you up. So, rejoice and be glad, for your God has not forgotten you. He is coming back one day to get us. All of us who have kept His commandments and who are waiting for His great return.
Father, thank You that You have not forgotten me. Please see the situation that I am in and give me peace in my storm. Speak to it so that it may calm, in Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.