Christ Church Daily Devotion Oct 5 2023

The Daily Devotion for October 5th, 2023, discusses Isaiah chapter 49, verses 1-6. It emphasizes that even during difficult times, God has not forgotten us. The analogy of a mother's love for her child is used to illustrate that God's love and memory of us is even greater. In fact, God cares so much about us that He has a tattoo of us on His hand. We are always before the eyes of the Lord, and He will never leave or fail us. This serves as a reminder that God truly cares about us and has not forgotten us. Welcome to Christ Church's Daily Devotion for October 5th, 2023. Today we will be reading from Isaiah chapter 49, verses 1 through 6. Listen to me, you islands. Hear this, you distant nations. Before I was born, the Lord called me. From my mother's womb, He has spoken my name. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword. In the shadow of His hand, He hid me. He made me into a polished arrow, and concealed me in His quiver. He said to me, You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor. But I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing at all. Yet what is due me is in the Lord's hand, and my reward is with my God. And now the Lord says, He who formed me in the womb to be His servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, and gather Israel to Himself. For I am honored in the eyes of the Lord, and my God has been my strength. He says, It is too small a thing for you to be my servant, to restore the tribes of Jacob, and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth. 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 such times, we tend to think that God is far away from us, that He does not really care for us, and that He has forgotten all about us. Although it may not seem like this at times, the message of Isaiah is that nothing could be further from the truth. In order to illustrate his point, in an earlier verse, Isaiah drew an analogy between a mother and her child, and God and His people. He quotes God as saying, 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 even 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 order to press home his point, Isaiah quotes God as saying, That I drew a picture of you on my hand. God, one might say, has a tattoo of us on His hand. The image is meant to convey the idea that God cannot put His hand to anything without being reminded of us. Far from forgetting about us, God cares so much that He tattooed His hand with our pictures. Thus we are always before the eyes of the Lord. Although God may allow the trials, troubles, and tribulations of life into our lives, we should not draw the conclusion from this that He does not care about us and that He 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 Today's personal worship option God really cares about us. God has not forgotten us. He has the pictures of us to prove it.