Isaiah 49
ScriptureIsaiah 49:14-1514 But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me,the Lord has forgotten me.”15 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breastand have no compassion on the child she has borne?Though she may forget,I will not forget you!Observation - What does it say?Because of times of distress and affliction, God’s covenant people Israel cried out that God had forgotten and abandoned them. But God responds essentially by saying, “That’s preposterous!” He likens himself to a mother and Israel her baby. A mother could never forget her baby or lose compassion for it. But even if she did God would never forget or forsake his covenant children.Understanding - What does it mean?This text answers some common but difficult questions: “When I go through difficulty, does it mean that God has withdrawn from me?” “When I am afflicted, does it mean that God no longer has compassion on me?” “Does hardship mean God is disapproving of me or that he doesn’t love me anymore?”The answer to all those questions is an emphatic "No!" The truth is, if we have become God’s child through putting our faith in Christ, he is always with us whether we ‘feel’ him or not. God’s compassion toward us doesn’t waver and his love for us is deeper than the oceans and as constant as his own existence.Though we may feel at times that God has disappeared or forgotten about us, he hasn't!!When I read this text, I immediately thought of my wife and our 5 month old baby girl. If there is anyone she has her eye on, that she is continually thinking about, that she is passionate about caring for, it's our baby girl. Regardless of how many dirty diapers she creates, how many times she wakes up crying in the night, how hard she is to console when she's cranky, my wife's heart is filled with undying love for her baby! This is how God is toward us.
God said in Deuteronomy 31:6, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Life ApplicationTrust that God is close to me and that he still loves me, regardless of my circumstances or how I feel.
Lord, thank you for the promises in your word! Thank you that regardless of what we experience we can rest in the knowledge that your love for us is unchanging. Thank you that even when we don’t ‘feel’ your presence in a tangible way we can rest in the knowledge that you are still with us in that moment. Thank you that you will never leave us or forsake us. Amen.
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