Isaiah 49:16: “See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; / Your walls are continually before Me.”

September 12th, 2024 by Pastor Ed in devotional

This Scripture beautifully describes just how important God’s children are to Him. Perhaps, because we know the dark thoughts and sinful acts of omission and commission that pass through our lives, we expect Him to reject us out of hand. But when we read a verse like this, we must ask ourselves: “Would a disinterested deity talk about mankind as God Almighty does here?”

Some take this verse to refer to Exodus 13:9, while others suggest that there was a Jewish custom of puncturing one’s hands as a sign of devotion, which would leave a scar that symbolized Jerusalem and the temple. Whatever the correct reference, it is clear that our heavenly Father is saying, “I can’t forget you, because I have engraved and imprinted you on My palms.”

Just how did God carve our names into His hands? Certainly there is a beautiful, literal fulfillment of this in the nail-scarred hands of Jesus. Jesus told Doubting Thomas, in John 20:27, to look at His scarred hands as proof of His resurrection. We understand from Scripture that those scars will remain through eternity. When we consider this, we cannot help but see that God the Son has deeply committed to never forgetting us, His people. Perhaps we can also see something of this in the story of the thief on the cross when he called out to Jesus to remember him. Jesus’ response was immediate and powerful: “today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43).

“LORD, we are grateful that You have promised to never forget us, and we believe You this day.”