FORGET
verb: to fail to remember something, to stop thinking or caring about someone, neglect, disregard
“I’d never forget you–never. Look, I’ve written your names on the backs of my hands.” Isaiah 49:15-16
Forgetting things. Forgetting people. It feels awful, doesn’t it? We use all kinds of tricks and tips to remind us not to forget. We set alarms on our phones. We stick Post-it notes everywhere. We write on our hands or wear something that will help us to remember. A friend of mine crosses her fingers at work until she gets back to her computer so she won’t forget to send an important e-mail. Forgetting makes us embarrassed, inconvenienced, and sometimes absolutely panicked.
And being the one forgotten? It can break your heart.
In Isaiah 49:14, the people of Jerusalem were crying out to God. Their city had been attacked and their temple destroyed by the Babylonians. But Zion said, “I don’t get it. God has left me. My Master has forgotten I even exist.” They felt like God had abandoned them.
God reassured them by saying that he would never forget them. Even if a mother could forget her child, God would never forget his precious people (verse 15). He comforted them, revealing to them that he has written their names on his hands.
And he has our names permanently engraved on his hands too. Your name. My name. Like a significant tattoo that represents what he values. Not because he is worried that he might forget us. He couldn’t if he tried. We are part of him, chosen by him, always on his mind and in his heart.
What reassurance, what confidence we can have when we remember that God designed us! He knows us. Our names are what he chose to have written on his mighty, gentle hands that hold the whole world.
No matter how alone we feel or how disappointing life gets, we are never forgotten by our God.
Invite Him In
Imagine Jesus writing your name. Lovingly, carefully on his hand, where he can always see it. He never stops thinking about you, watching over you, taking care of you. You are always in (and on) his hands.
Excerpted with permission from Just One Word, by Susie Crosby, published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon, 97408. Copyright 2018, Susie Crosby. www.harvesthousepublishers.com