Encouragement for Your Week: June 8-14
This Week’s Verse
I drew a picture of you on my hand. You are always before my eyes.
- Isaiah 49:16 ERV
Devotion
When we go through the trials, troubles, and tribulations of life there is always the temptation to think that God has forgotten us. In Isaiah 49:14, for example, the people of Zion are quoted as saying, “The Lord has left me; the Lord has forgotten me.” During these tough times, we tend to think that God is far away; that He doesn’t really care for us; that He has forgotten all about us. Don’t fall prey to your feelings! The message of Isaiah is that nothing could be further from the truth.
In order to illustrate this point, God, through Isaiah, asks a rhetorical question. “Can a woman forget her baby? Can she forget the child that came from her body? Even if she can forget her children, I cannot forget you,” (Isaiah 49:15). God’s memory of us, in other words, is greater than a mother’s memory of her children. Psalm 27:10 says, “Even if my mother and father leave me, The LORD will take me in.” We are God’s children, and He cannot forget us because we are the “apple of His eye,” (Zechariah 2:8).
In our weekly verse, God says, “I drew a picture of you on my hand.” You could say that God has a tattoo of us on his hand. The image conveys the idea that God cannot put His hand to anything without being reminded of us. God cares so much that He tattooed His hand with our pictures.
Scripture reminds us of this truth: We are always before the eyes of the Lord. Although God may allow the trials and troubles at times, we should not draw the conclusion that He does not care or has forgotten about us. Indeed, “The LORD will lead you. He himself is with you. He will not fail you or leave you. Don’t worry. Don’t be afraid!” (Deuteronomy 31:8).
God really cares about you. God has not forgotten you. He has the pictures to prove it.
This Week’s Challenge
Create a physical reminder that God sees and remembers you (e.g., draw a small symbol on your hand, wear a bracelet, or write Isaiah 49:16 on a sticky note). Let it remind you throughout the week that you are always before His eyes.