Isaiah 49:15-16 - God is Cheering for You.
Isaiah 49:15-16 (NKJV) "Can a woman forget
her nursing child, And not have compassion on
the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet
I will not forget you. 16 See, I have
inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are
continually before Me.
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! 16 See, I have engraved
you on the palms of my hands; your walls are
ever before me.
Isaiah 49:15-16 (NLT) Never! Can a mother
forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for
the child she has borne? But even if that were
possible, I would not forget you! 16 See, I have
written your name on the palms of my hands. Always
in my mind is a picture of Jerusalems walls
in ruins.
INTRODUCTION
The people of Israel felt that God had
forgotten them in Babylon; but Isaiah pointed out that
God would never forget them, as a loving mother
would not forget her little child. When we feel
that God has forsaken us, we must ask if we have
forsaken and forgotten God (see Deuteronomy 31:6).
[Life Application SB]
COMMENTARY PEARL
During a visit with my grandchildren, I
snuggled with five-year-old Lilah as she showed me
the bracelet kit she'd received in her Easter
basket. One by one, she held up each tiny, colorful
rubber charm with a loop to attach it to the
bracelet. Lilah paused as she returned the seahorse
charm to the organizer box. Then she handed it to
me and spoke softly: "Here, Nana. You keep this
one to help you remember me after you leave." As
if I ever needed any prompt to remember this
darling little girl! Regardless of how much time
passes between visits, my children, grandchildren,
and other family members are in my thoughts
every day.
So is Jesus. How could I ever need a
reminder to think about the One who gave His life for
me? Each day, I see reminders of Him - in the
beauty of creation, the sound of praise music, the
nudges in my spirit, and especially in His Word.
What amazes me is that Jesus continuously
holds me in His thoughts. Every day, He reaches
out to offer what I need at any given moment:
strength, guidance, encouragement, conviction, peace.
Even when I neglect our relationship in ways that
make me feel there's a distance between us, Jesus
holds me in His loving thoughts while drawing my
heart back closer to Him. That is something I
could never forget. Dianne Neal Matthews
Faith Step: Take a few breaks during the
day to remind yourself that Jesus is thinking
about you. Thank Him for His ever-present love and
provision. [Mornings With Jesus 2023 Devotional by
Guideposts and Zondervan]
COMMENTARY
Circumstances may separate friends; the
restless waters of the wide sea may roll between us
and them. But no circumstances, no distance, can
separate us from the Saviour. Wherever we may be, He
is at our right hand, to support, maintain,
uphold, and cheer. Greater than the love of a mother
for her child is Christs love for His
redeemed. It is our privilege to rest in His love, to
say, I will trust Him; for He gave His life
for me." MH72
When he was yet a great way off, his
father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and
fell on his neck, and kissed him. Luke
15:18"20.
But even this parable, tender and
touching as it is, comes short of expressing the
infinite compassion of the heavenly Father. The Lord
declares by His prophet, I have loved thee with an
everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I
drawn thee. Jeremiah 31:3. While the sinner is
yet far from the Fathers house, wasting his
substance in a strange country, the Fathers heart
is yearning over him; and every longing
awakened in the soul to return to God is but the
tender pleading of His Spirit, wooing, entreating,
drawing the wanderer to his Fathers heart of
love.
With the rich promises of the Bible
before you, can you give place to doubt? Can you
believe that when the poor sinner longs to return,
longs to forsake his sins, the Lord sternly
withholds him from coming to His feet in repentance?
Away with such thoughts! Nothing can hurt your
own soul more than to entertain such a
conception of our heavenly Father. He hates sin, but He
loves the sinner, and He gave Himself in the
person of Christ, that all who would might be saved
and have eternal blessedness in the kingdom of
glory. What stronger or more tender language could
have been employed than He has chosen in which to
express His love toward us? He declares, Can a
woman forget her sucking child, that she should
not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea,
they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
Isaiah 49:15. SC54
God is Cheering for You
If your God is Mighty enough to ignite
the sun, could it be that He is mighty enough to
light your path?
God is for you. Not may be, not
has been, not was, not would be,
but God is! He is for you. Today. At this
hour. At this minute. As you read this sentence.
No need to wait in line or come back tomorrow.
He is with you. He could not be closer than he
is at this second. His loyalty wont increase
if you are better nor lessen if you are worse.
He is for you.
God is for you. Turn to the sidelines;
thats God cheering your run. Look past the finish
line; thats God applauding your steps. Listen
for him in the bleachers, shouting your name.
Too tired to continue? Hell carry you. Too
discouraged to fight? Hes picking you up. God is for
you.
God is for you. Had he a calendar, your
birthday would be circled. If he drove a car, your
name would be on his bumper. If theres a tree
in heaven, hes carved your name in the bark.
We know he has a tattoo, and we know what it
says. I have written your name on my hand,
he declares (Isaiah 49:16). [Max Lucado Daily
Devotional at maxlucado.com]
Your Name Is Engraved On God's Hand
Just like a mother cannot forget her
child, God cannot forget you.
Have you been abandoned in life by a
spouse or a parent? God will never abandon you.
Have you been rejected by those you
trusted the most? God will never reject you.
Have you been left behind by the people
who were supposed to walk through life with you?
God will never leave you alone.
When you go through any of those painful
experiences, you will be tempted to think that God has
forgotten you. But thats impossible! You were made
to be loved by God. He created you as an object
of his love.
In fact, did you know God has a tattoo of
your name engraved on the palms of his hands? The
Bible says in Isaiah 49:15-16, Can a mother
forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for
the child she has borne? But even if that were
possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written
your name on the palms of my hands (NLT).
Where did he get the tattoo? On the
cross. With nail-pierced hands and outstretched
arms, he showed you just how much he loves you. He
loves you so much it hurts! He loves you so much
hed rather die than live without you. He loves
you with an everlasting love.
In heaven, no one is going to have any
scars except Jesus. His body will have all the
scars of the cross. Why? Because he wants to
always remember how much he loves you.
When you dont understand whats
going on in your life, you need to remember this:
You may not have a solution. You wont always
have the answers. And you wont always get an
explanation.
But you do have Gods presence and his
love in your life. When life doesnt make
sense, you have to hold on to that promise. [Daily
Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
CLOSING THOUGHT
When you were in elementary school, did
you ever take a pen and write the name of
someone on the palm of your hand? Maybe it was a
boy or girl you liked " or someone you
especially admired. The truth is, God has done this as
well, only He has taken it a giant step further.
In todays Scripture, He says, See, I have
engraved you on the palms of my hands. In other
words, He doesnt just engrave your name on His
palms, but He engraves you. Its all there "
everything about you " your hopes and dreams, faults
and failures, fears and anxieties, everything
that makes up who you are. Hes not just
holding you; He closes His hands and feels the
impression, the precious one-of-a-kind engraving. You
are a part of Him, and He will never, ever
overlook you and your needs.
Father, this is almost too much for me to
process. You have placed me where You will always
see me and set me where You will always remember
me. Nothing about me escapes Your gaze. Others
may look past me, forget to pray for me, or
neglect to even notice me, but You never will. Not
today, not tomorrow, not in a million years. [Joni
Eareckson Tada Daily Devotional:
http://www.joniandfriends.org/daily-devotional]
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
