Growing with God: A daily devotional with Tonia Slimm.
Isaiah 49:15-16 (NIV)
“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”
Isaiah 49:15-16 (MSG)
“Can a mother forget the infant at her breast, walk away from the baby she bore? But even if mothers forget, I’d never forget you—never. Look, I’ve written your names on the backs of my hands. The walls you’re rebuilding are never out of my sight.”
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“[The Lord answered] “Can a woman forget her nursing child and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you. Indeed, I have inscribed [a picture of] you on the palms of My hands; your city walls [Zion] are continually before Me -AMPLIFIED
“In Jewish tradition there is a story representing Israel as God’s daughter, who asks Him to stamp a seal of her on His heart and arm (Song 8:6). God replies that such a seal cannot always be seen, so He has instead inscribed her upon His palms.” ~AMPLIFIED footnote
In yesterday’s passage we found the Israelites grumbling that Adonai–Tzva’ot had forgotten them, maybe not in so many words, but God knew their hearts.
“But Zion has said, “Yahweh has forsaken me.
My Lord has forgotten me—I’m all alone.” -Isaiah 49:14 (The Passion Translation)
In today’s text we find Yahweh responding to Israel that they are ever before Him, they are always on His mind.
“Eternal One: Is it possible for a mother, however disappointed, however hurt, to forget her nursing child? Can she feel nothing for the baby she carried and birthed? Even if she could, I, God, will never forget you. Look here. I have made you a part of Me, written you on the palms of My hands. Your city walls are always on My mind, always My concern.” -(VOICE)
God’s reply to Israel’s foolish allegation is one of tenderness and compassion. He asks, “Could a loving mother ever forget her own child? Never! Could I, the loving Father, ever forget my children? NEVER!”
He goes on, telling them how much they actually mean to Him. They are so loved, they are so dear to Him, that He has carved their names on the very palms of His hands. The imprint of the city walls is imprinted firmly on His mind. God would not, could not forget His children.
We will learn more of this in tomorrow’s text.
“Never! Can a mother forget her little child and not have love for her own son? Yet even if that should be, I will not forget you. See, I have tattooed your name upon my palm, and ever before me is a picture of Jerusalem’s walls in ruins.” -(TLB)
“Although this is an apparent reference to the walls of Jerusalem, there is an application for each of us. Wherever you are today, your limitations, your walls, are before God’s eyes. He knows where you are and what you face.” ~ Passion Translation footnote
The Lord’s love and affection for His children is great. And, if we had any doubt at all of how much He loves us, consider what John wrote in his first epistle:
“Consider the kind of extravagant love the Father has lavished on us—He calls us children of God! It’s true; we are His beloved children. And in the same way the world didn’t recognize Him, the world does not recognize us either. My loved ones, we have been adopted into God’s family; and we are officially His children now. The full picture of our destiny is not yet clear, but we know this much: when Jesus appears, we will be like Him because we will see Him just as He is. All those who focus their hopes on Him and His coming seek to purify themselves just as He is pure.” -1 John 3:1-3 (VOICE)
“When we feel like we are not good enough to be loved by God, we should remember that God’s love is greater than our doubts. We must silence the sounds of condemnation so we can hear the voice of God’s loving assurance and remember that He has selected us to be part of His family.” ~VOICE footnote
David reminds us that we are ever in God’s thoughts in Psalm 40, when he says:
“O Lord my God, many and many a time you have done great miracles for us, and we are ever in your thoughts. Who else can do such glorious things? No one else can be compared with you. There isn’t time to tell of all your wonderful deeds.” -Psalm 40:5 (TLB)
“We aren’t just a momentary thought. He never stops thinking about us…And they are not thoughts of condemnation and judgement, but thoughts of absolute love and adoration. How precious are His thoughts toward us. In our limited understanding, this is just too good to be true…but it is true. God is thinking about us right now! He thinks about us when we are awake or asleep.” ~Sheri Edwards
And lest we wonder about God inscribing us on His hands, look no further than the hands of Jesus, whose nail sacred hands are a constant reminder of what He did for us on Calvary. Every time the Father looks on those hands of His Son, He is reminded of us.
“This has an obvious and beautiful fulfillment in the nail-scarred hands of Jesus. As Jesus told Thomas in a post-resurrection appearance, look at My hands (John 20:27). When we see the nail-scarred hands of Jesus, we see how He has inscribed us on the palms of His hands. With such love, how could God ever forget His people?” ~David Guzik
My friend, we need to remember that God loves us, always and forever. We need to try and grasp how great the love of the Father for us truly is, and that is a challenging thing to do sometimes. Too often we allow what we see with our physical eyes to influence our attitudes and our thinking. We are hurt by the world and think that because God allowed it to happen, He must not love us anymore. Nothing could be further from the truth. God loves you, always. We live in a sinful, broken world, so we will be affected by things that happen in it. But always remember, God’s love for you will never change.
“The God who created the universe, the most powerful being ever, loves you personally. Try to wrap your mind around that. He loves you — not just people in general, but you as a person. He cares about your life and wants to be part of it. Even if you’ve spent your whole life running from God or done things you regret, He still loves you and wants to have a relationship with you.” ~Faith Eng
My Prayer:
Adonai–Tzva’ot, God Almighty, thank you for your love. Thank you that your love for me is a constant that I can always count on. Thank you for the reminders that even when I do not feel your love, it has not wavered or changed. You are my Heavenly Father, loving me in and through ever situation. And you will never forget me because I too am always on your mind. I am so blessed to be counted as one of your children. Thank you, Father God. ❤
Growing with God 