"The Wonder of Mercy"
“Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break for the into singing, O mountains: for the Lord has comforted His people, and will have mercy upon His afflicted. But Zion said, ‘The Lord has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me.’ ‘Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.” (Isaiah 49:13-16) Comfort and mercy. How wonderful that the heavens and earth should break froth into singing because of God’s goodness. And God’s people soak it all up with thankful hearts. No, not always. How amazed at times must God be at His people. What could be more unfounded than the doubts and fears of His people. He keeps His promises a thousand times, but the next trial makes us doubt Him.
Charles Spurgeon said, “God never fails. He is never a dry well, never setting sun, or a passing meteor, or a melting vapor, and yet we are continually vexed with anxieties, molested with suspicions, and disturbed with fears, as if our God were a mirage in the desert.” Yet in verse 16 God says, “I will not forget you.” How do we know He’ll not forget us? Our name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, but our name is not enough. God says, I have engraved you- your person, your image, your circumstances, your sins, your temptations, your weakness, your wants, your works, your life- all of you upon the palms of My hands. Those scars are a constant reminder of My unchanging love for you. In those scars Jesus bears the image of every believer.
- Deacon, John Brummel