The verses were found in Isaiah 49: 14-16a,
But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me,
and my Lord hath forgotten me.
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.
Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands...
Just like the rest of God's Word, there is so much to be gleaned from these few verses. There are times in many people's lives when it feels like God has forgotten them, or that God isn't doing anything to help them. Of course, nothing could be farther from the truth. What does God answer to this? He gives us the comparison of a mother's love. I found that you can look at this in at least a couple of ways. Most of you that read here are mothers, so I will address this from a mother's point of view. Can you imagine ever forgetting your child, or not having compassion on your own flesh and blood? The love that we feel for our children is shadowed only by the love that we have for our Savior, and hopefully for your husband. But yet, the Bible tells us, "Yea, they may forget.." We are after all human, which in turn makes us sinners. Our love will never be perfect. Then there's the other way to look at this. I don't like talking about my mother very much. Not because it bothers me to speak about it, but because it always seems to make the listener uncomfortable, and it seems like I'm looking for pity. But, you don't have to be uncomfortable because you don't have to look me in the eye. And I am definitely NOT looking for pity. But using my mother here does serve as illustration, so I'll tell about her. When I was 4, and my brother was 6, my mom left. My dad did an amazing job as a single parent and didn't remarry until after we were fully grown. I received very few letters from my mom while I was growing up, no phone calls, and no love. I finally "met" her at my wedding, and have seen her two other times since then for about an hour each time. She has completely disowned my brother and his wife and children because my brother witnessed to her about the Lord. You see, my mother is an Atheist. And since love is from God, she has none. Not true love; the kind that gives and doesn't expect to receive. So if you want to feel sorry for someone after my little story, please feel sorry for her, and pray for her. But this brings me back to Isaiah. I read this and felt like God was speaking to me. "Can a woman forget.....Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee" (emphasis mine) How sweet to hear those words. And the proof of how much Christ loves us is in verse 16, "Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands,..." I have to quote C.H. Spurgeon here for he said it beautifully, "I have graven thee. It does not say, "Thy name." the name is there, but that is not all: "I have graven thee." See the fullness of this! I have graven your person, your image, your case, your circumstances, your sins, your temptations, your weaknesses, your needs, your works. I have graven you, everything about you, all that concerns you. I have put you altogether there. Will you ever say again that your God has forsaken you when He has "graven [you] upon the palms of [His] hands"?"
and my Lord hath forgotten me.
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.
Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands...
Just like the rest of God's Word, there is so much to be gleaned from these few verses. There are times in many people's lives when it feels like God has forgotten them, or that God isn't doing anything to help them. Of course, nothing could be farther from the truth. What does God answer to this? He gives us the comparison of a mother's love. I found that you can look at this in at least a couple of ways. Most of you that read here are mothers, so I will address this from a mother's point of view. Can you imagine ever forgetting your child, or not having compassion on your own flesh and blood? The love that we feel for our children is shadowed only by the love that we have for our Savior, and hopefully for your husband. But yet, the Bible tells us, "Yea, they may forget.." We are after all human, which in turn makes us sinners. Our love will never be perfect. Then there's the other way to look at this. I don't like talking about my mother very much. Not because it bothers me to speak about it, but because it always seems to make the listener uncomfortable, and it seems like I'm looking for pity. But, you don't have to be uncomfortable because you don't have to look me in the eye. And I am definitely NOT looking for pity. But using my mother here does serve as illustration, so I'll tell about her. When I was 4, and my brother was 6, my mom left. My dad did an amazing job as a single parent and didn't remarry until after we were fully grown. I received very few letters from my mom while I was growing up, no phone calls, and no love. I finally "met" her at my wedding, and have seen her two other times since then for about an hour each time. She has completely disowned my brother and his wife and children because my brother witnessed to her about the Lord. You see, my mother is an Atheist. And since love is from God, she has none. Not true love; the kind that gives and doesn't expect to receive. So if you want to feel sorry for someone after my little story, please feel sorry for her, and pray for her. But this brings me back to Isaiah. I read this and felt like God was speaking to me. "Can a woman forget.....Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee" (emphasis mine) How sweet to hear those words. And the proof of how much Christ loves us is in verse 16, "Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands,..." I have to quote C.H. Spurgeon here for he said it beautifully, "I have graven thee. It does not say, "Thy name." the name is there, but that is not all: "I have graven thee." See the fullness of this! I have graven your person, your image, your case, your circumstances, your sins, your temptations, your weaknesses, your needs, your works. I have graven you, everything about you, all that concerns you. I have put you altogether there. Will you ever say again that your God has forsaken you when He has "graven [you] upon the palms of [His] hands"?"
3 comments:
Pam-you are SUCH a blessing to me! Imagine my joy as I read your entry and realized that it is the very lesson that Jesus has been teaching this disciple! It brought tears to my eyes as I read about it... By the way the word says that we are saved by the blood of the Lamb AND the word of OUR testimony(so I love hearing testimony--and regardless of whether people look at you as seeking pity or not, that is your testimony, Pam!) We are only here to please our Father--not ANY man(or woman ;) for that matter!). God bless you Pam!
Sarah T
This was a blessing to read knowing you have found the right and true kind of LOVE and that is from our Saviour.
Your father did indeed raise two wonderful children (you and your brother)...and your mother has missed out on one of life's greatest joys, sharing life with you. I'm glad I have this privilege.
What a wonderful post my friend. Such wonderful thoughts. I still pray for your mom when I think of her and admire your willingness to share this part of your life. Love you my friend :)
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