Do you ever feel like God’s love is far from you? Wonder if He has forgotten, even abandoned you?

If so, you’re not alone. In Psalm 42, David laments his sadness and discouragement, crying out to God, his rock, “Why have you forgotten me?” Throughout this beautiful Psalm we observe the struggle as David acknowledges God’s goodness and love toward him, yet feels far from it.

Isaiah 49 holds one of the most beautiful expressions of God’s everlasting love in all of Scripture—that we are indelibly etched on the palms of His hands.

In verse 14 ancient Zion (Jesusalem) cries out “The LORD has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me.”

And God’s response: 

“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.

See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.” (Isaiah 49:15-16 NKJV)                                

These verses herald a call to all of God’s people—an expression of His unending love. He contrasts His love to perhaps the closest of human bonds—that of a mother with her nursing child. As unlikely as it is, a woman could forget her child, yet God says He will never forget us.

In Eastern culture of the day it was common to tattoo on your body the names of those you love. But rarely, even today, will one tattoo something on the palms of their hands.

Why?

Because our palms have some of the most sensitive areas of skin on our bodies!

God is telling us that figuratively, He would go to the excruciating pain of having our names tattooed on His palms.

Inscribing us on His palms is indicative of so much more than simply our names: it represents all of us—our fears, failures, shortcomings, circumstances, weaknesses, desires, works—all that we are and all that concerns us are ever before His face (“Your walls [palms] are continually before me.”) 

Can we truly say God has forsaken us if we are inscribed on His very palms? 

God’s greatest love was expressed to us through His Son, and nothing—nothing!—can separate us from His love. 

“Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Romans 8:35-39) 

When feelings of loneliness or abandonment come, and God’s love feels far from you, remember: you are indelibly etched on His palms, always before His face, and nothing can separate you from His love.

Copyright © 2016 Cheryl Elton

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