Isaiah 49 Devotional

Kept Always Before Him

“Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are ever before Me.”Isaiah 49:16 (BSB)

The Servant speaks, telling how the LORD called him before birth (49:1). He admits to feeling that he has labored for nothing, yet he leaves his reward with God (49:4). God answers that restoring Israel is too small a task for him. He will also be a light for the nations, carrying salvation to the ends of the earth (49:6). Simeon, holding the infant Jesus, praised God for this very light for the Gentiles (Luke 2:32).

Then Zion speaks, and she sounds defeated. She says the LORD has abandoned and forgotten her (49:14). His reply is tender. A nursing mother might forget her child, yet he will not forget Zion. He has engraved her on his palms, and her walls are always before him (49:15-16). He promises her more children than the land can hold (49:20-21). Feeling forgotten is real, and the chapter does not shame Zion for saying it. But God's memory of his people does not depend on how they feel. It is written where he cannot miss it.

To think about: When have you felt forgotten by God, and what does it mean to you that he keeps his people always before him?