“Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands …”
Isaiah 49:15,15
The news on television seems to be an endless stream of bad news. The well known preacher, Alistair Begg recommends not starting your day with watching one of the networks pouring forth their bad news – but turning to the Word of God – and hearing His good news.
In the verses above we are reminded of the bad news, that even mothers occasionally abandon their own children – but that sad reality is just a backdrop for the good news! God will never abandon His children! God comes to us through the prophet Isaiah, and says:I know, that in a world that is broken and marred by sin, there are exceptions to the rule of a mother’s love for her children! But there are no exceptions to my love for you! You take the best, tenderest expressions of human love, and my love for you is infinitely beyond that!
Notice that word, “Behold!” “Behold! I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.” That word “Behold” means stop and look. When you are tempted to be discouraged by the bad news of the world, or to get sidetracked by the seemingly endless Christmas activities of this season – activities that tend to be largely devoid of the Christ of Christmas – Stop and look at this! Hold your gaze here. See the tremendous cost of your salvation! And as you do, see the heart of your God! He is not a God who will forsake you or forget you! In fact – He has willingly forsaken His own eternally, beloved, spotless Son on the Cross of Calvary and poured on Him the just rewards of your sin – so that you will never be forsaken by Him!!! What a God! What a Gospel!! Hallelujah!!! What a Saviour!!!!