You Are Not Forgotten: Finding Hope In The One Who Has Our Name Etched On His Hand
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A Visit I Will Never Forget
One of my many visits to my Lyme doctor stood out among them all. On our third visit to San Francisco, as I sat in the chair next to Sam and across from my amazing doctor, he shared the next steps in my treatment plan. Willing to do anything to feel better, I wanted to say yes to everything, but with each treatment option, I could see Sam tense in the corner of my eye. I knew he was calculating the cost of all of this.
I walked from my doctor’s office into the infusion room with a much more elaborate treatment plan. This plan involved over 50 pills a day, daily infusions, tinctures, painful injections, and so much more.
As I sat in the black recliner waiting for the nurse, I saw several other patients hooked up to their own IVs. I watched as each person passed the time in their own way. Some read, some sat with the eyes closed, while others made origami paper cranes (1000 paper cranes in the Japanese culture symbolizes hope for healing).
God, Have You Forgotten Me?
The tears fell as I wondered, is this really it? Is this what my life has turned to? I had so many hopes and dreams and now my life consisted of IVs and meds. I remember thinking, ‘God, I am still here. Have you forgotten me?’
God Remembered Noah
Scripture like Genesis 8:1 that says, ‘God remembered Noah’ reminds me God never forgets us. I told you a few weeks ago and you can watch it here, about all the chiasms used in the old testament. The story of Noah comprises several chiasms and at the heart of one of them is the statement, “God remembered Noah.”
Noah had to have felt forgotten. He had been floating around in the rain for 40 days and 40 nights. God had locked him and his family within the ark for 150 days. The darkness within the ark had to feel overwhelming, but right at the core of the story we read, “God remembered Noah.”
You Are Not Forgotten
God never forgets us, but I have to think that God put this in the story to remind each of us we are always on His mind. Even in the darkest of days, when we feel alone and afraid, He remembers us. Towards the end of the book of Isaiah, Isaiah has shared of all the ways Judah will face captivity because of their rejection of God. In chapter 49, he prophesies how God will once again restore Judah.
Isaiah’s Promise: Engraved on His Hands
We know from other books that all Isaiah prophesied came to pass and Judah spent 70 years in captivity in Babylon. In their darkest days, God speaks through Isaiah and says, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me” (Isaiah 49:15-16 NIV).
God speaks through Isaiah, the reminder that He will never forget us. He has engraved us on the palm of His hands. Some versions say, “I have drawn a picture of you on my hand.” And others say, “I have written your name on the palm of my hand.” Either ways it tells us we are ever present in God’s mind.
Your Name Is Written On His Hand
If this is one of those moments where you are feeling lost and alone, I want to assure you God has not forgotten you. In the depths of grief, God has not forgotten you. In the deepest of depression, God has not forgotten you. When life feels like it’s crashing in around you, God has not forgotten you. In moments like these, it’s hard to keep our eyes fixed on Him, but I encourage you to hold tight. Hold on to all the truths you know about Him. Read these verses over and over and remind yourself God never forgets you. Imagine your name written on His hand.
In those hardest days of Lyme Disease, I would cry out to God begging Him to heal me. So many times I felt like the woman who bled for twelve years, constantly reaching for His robe. I asked Him so many times how He would use this horrible experience. Many times I never got answers, but I did get reminders that I He had not forgotten me.
With God, All Things Are Possible
I received the diagnosis of Lyme Disease almost seven years ago, and there have been many ups and downs along the way, but I am beyond excited to let you know that after I wrote this post, “Raining Tears” (you can read it here) a year ago, none of those symptoms have returned! In this past year, I completed a 10K and started teaching in person Bible classes. Seven years ago I thought none of this would ever be possible again, but it’s and only through Him that any of this is possible.
I don’t know if we will ever understand the trials and pain we will go through in this life, but I do know that we serve a God that has our names inscribed on His hand and all things will be used for the glory of His kingdom. Hold tight to Him in the difficult moments. Trust that He will restore you and never forget you, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18NIV).
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