Graven in the Palms of God’s Hands
.
Isaiah 49:8-18
8. Thus says the Lord: "In a time of favor I have answered you, in a day of salvation I have helped you; I have kept you and given you as a covenant to the people, to establish the land, to apportion the desolate heritages; 9. saying to the prisoners, `Come forth,' to those who are in darkness, `Appear.' They shall feed along the ways, on all bare heights shall be their pasture; 10. they shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall smite them, for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them. 11. And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be raised up. 12. Lo, these shall come from afar, and lo, these from the north and from the west, and these from the land of Syene." 13. Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his afflicted. 14. But Zion said, "The Lord has forsaken me, my Lord has forgotten me." 15. "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. 16. Behold, I have graven you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me. 17. Your builders outstrip your destroyers, and those who laid you waste go forth from you. 18. Lift up your eyes round about and see; they all gather, they come to you. As I live, says the Lord, you shall put them all on as an ornament, you shall bind them on as a bride does.
Revelation 7:13-17
13. Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, clothed in white robes, and whence have they come?" 14. I said to him, "Sir, you know." And he said to me, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night within his temple; and he who sits upon the throne will shelter them with his presence. 16. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. 17. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
God contends that His love is greater, stronger, more intense and profound than the love a mother has for a newborn child. I can speak from experience: That’s a great, strong, intense and profound love! It is truly impossible for me to imagine being loved more than that! But I think God gives us glimpses of his love to spur us on, to keep us striving for perfection, to help us bear the waiting until our reward in heaven.
The title of this scripture from Isaiah is “Restoration of Israel.” The exiles are returning; the captives are being allowed to return; land rights will be restored; slaves will be set free. My bible notes imply that these verses offer a glimpse of what it will be like at the end of time. God will re-claim us as His beloved people. All our sins will be washed away and forgotten. We will want for nothing. We will be satisfied beyond imagining!
There are times in our lives when we need to keep this promise ever before us. On the days when it seems as if we labor in vain for the kingdom, we need to remember these promises. God’s word is unimpeachable. He has revealed to us a foretaste of what is to come. That’s so we don’t lose hope in the day-in and day-out of our lives. We can rejoice because of what is waiting for us! It will be better than Christmas! Better than a birthday! It will be better than anything we can imagine. Because the gift we’ll receive will be an eternal one.
I can hardly wait to kneel before the throne of God! And the hope of that inheritance is what keeps me striving to be worthy of that possibility. We will hunger no more – or thirst – or wander aimlessly desperately searching for meaning and purpose. I can keep going because I know I am sheltered by God’s presence in the world, and in my life. Salvation. Redemption. Heaven.
I hope today you fell encouraged, comforted and joyful that God reveals himself not only to the prophets of old, but to us through His word brought to life and revealed in the bible.
Mary
