Isaiah 49:15-16

15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. 16 Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.

The three-year-old girl was deeply concerned. She watched her parents take multiple trips to and from the car, each time loading a different packed bag into the vehicle. With each passing minute, the girl became more and more agitated. Why weren’t they packing the most important thing? What if they forgot? Decidedly taking matters into her own hands, the girl sprinted to the back bedroom, reached into the crib, and hoisted up her newborn little sister. Then, with a strength she didn’t know she had––that is, until this desperate moment presented itself––the girl carried her baby sister to the front door. “What about the baby?” She cried, “We can’t forget the baby!” Her mother rushed to her side, taking the baby from her trembling arms and lifting the child safely to her chest, laughing nervously. “Oh, honey, we weren’t going to forget the baby. But thank you for your help.”

The parents––and certainly the big sister––were not going to forget the baby on their long trip. There is too much love and, certainly, responsibility in the care for a child. These verses remind us that the Lord’s affection for His people is far greater than a woman’s for her nursing child. He says, “I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.” The Lord is saying, I am your Keeper, Sustainer, and Protector. My arms were stretched across the cross, my palms pierced with steel and the weight of humanity’s sin. Your sin. You are literally engraved upon my hands with a scar that will outlast eternity. You are more valuable to me than life itself.

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