"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..." (Isaiah 49:15-16a).

Can a mother really forget her baby? Today, you can read about such shocking stories in the newspaper:

   "Crying infant found in trash can..."
      "Teenage mother abandons newborn..."
        "Mother murders child in a fit of rage..."
 

These kinds of stories break the heart of any reader. Abandonment. Rejection. Worthlessness. An innocent child is forsaken by a selfish mother.

God is not like that. He is a God of compassion. He declares, "Though she may forget, I will not forget you!" God will not forget you. God will not abandon you or cast you aside.

Not only that, your name is engraved in the palm of his hand. Can you imagine? There, engraved in the palm of God's hand is "Russell Lee Pond". It probably has a big heart around with words underneath saying, "Child, I love you."

Have you ever written anything in the palm of your hand? Love notes, reminders, phone numbers, someone's name? Sometimes they were notes of affection. Other times, there were reminders. In the palm of God's hand is a reminder of his love towards you. It's not written in pen, or a marker. It's more permanent than that. It's engraved. Everyday, he sees that reminder.

I can just picture God reading your name in his hand and pulling his arms up against his chest saying, "Oh, how I love this child of mine." I can only imagine the emotion and joy that fills his heart when he thinks of you, his precious child.

When you feel abandoned or rejected, when you feel all alone, look at the palm of your hand. Remember that God has your name etched in his. When you go to bed at nights, he is thinking of you. When you rise in the morning, he is filled with thoughts of you.

When you are afraid, he comes running to help you. You will not be rejected or abandoned by God. Can our Father forget his child?

Blessings!

Russell

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|  Russell Pond     <><
|  Season of Peace
|  email:  ponder@season.org
|  web:    http://www.season.org

© Russell Pond 1999
Reprinted with permission