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.

If you want to start a conversation with someone, try commenting on one or more of their tattoos. Usually, people are willing to talk about something they care about enough to indelibly mark themselves with. Some people decide to have a wedding “ring” tattooed on their ring finger instead of a piece of jewelry. After all, you can lose or misplace a wedding ring, but a tattoo is forever, right?

To emphasize the fact that He will never leave you or forsake you, God has used this imagery of “I have engraved you on the palms of my hand.” His love is permanent, solid, and not going anywhere. It is forever marked on His hand.

You may be asking: does God have hands? I read that He is a Spirit… and you are right. But Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, was a man. And He has permanent scars on His hands that prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that He loves you enough to give His life for you. Jesus died on the cross for your sins to prove that He will never leave you or forsake you. He was brutally nailed to that cross through His hands and feet. Three days after, He rose from the dead, but the scars from the nails remained in His resurrected body. They are literally “engraved” on the palms of His hands for you.

What does it mean to you that God has “engraved” you on His hands? How does this affect your sense of worth and identity?

Identify someone in your life who might feel forgotten or overlooked and take action to reach out.

Follow the SHINE Time devotional tool to dive deeper into today’s scripture!

Seek the Lord in prayer.

Highlight a characteristic of God.

Identify a truth about yourself or people.

Notice what the Holy Spirit is communicating to you.

Engage in the next action step. Think of a way to respond in obedience to what God has revealed to you today.