God’s people said, “The LORD has forsaken and forgotten us.” Christ 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.” (Isaiah 49:14-16)
This concludes our series on this passage. You can read Christ Will Not Forget You Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.
We Were Made for More!
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) stated in Walden that most people “lead lives of quiet desperation.” Thoreau meant that we all feel an emptiness in our lives. We try to fill it with fame, fortune, comfort, and fun, but these things don’t satisfy us in a lasting way. Scripture reveals why we long for more: God our Creator has set eternity in human hearts.1 Augustine, a famous North African Christian, explained it this way:
The Lord has made us for Himself,
And our hearts are restless until we find our rest in Him.2
In Revelation 3:19-20, the Risen Jesus says: “Those I love, I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with them, and they with. Me.” What amazing love! God Himself wants to know us and spend time with us, just as two close friends share a meal and linger at the table to share stories. Robert Boyd Munger, the author of the tract My Heart, Christ’s Home, said, “The truth that Christ wants my fellowship, that He loves me, wants me to be with Him, and waits for me, has done more to transform my quiet time with God than any other single fact. Don’t let Jesus wait alone in the living room of your heart, but every day make a time and place when, with the Scriptures and in prayer, so that you may be together with Him.”
How is Jesus Different from Every Other “Savior”?
Every religion besides Christianity tries to get to God by human effort. Some people try to “empty” their minds. Some make pilgrimage journeys, walking many miles, climbing many steps. Some push themselves to think wise thoughts and do good deeds to earn God’s approval. Some take drugs or perform rituals to try to “purify” themselves. But the Bible tells us:
Our sins have made us all like unclean people, who cannot worship You.
Even the good things that we try to do are like dirty bits of cloth.
Our sins will blow us all away, as the wind blows away dead leaves. (Isaiah 64:6 Easy English Bible).
The freeing truth is that we cannot achieve closeness to God by our own efforts! Thank God, Christ takes the initiative to bridge the gap between Himself and our lost and dying world! He doesn’t forget us or write us off. The Savior blots out and removes our wrong, forgiving us and restoring our fellowship with God. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is of infinite value and effect in saving us. And Christ commands us to announce to all people that His Father is reconciled and ready to forgive, so that whoever turn to Him receives eternal life and hope in Jesus. They will never be abandoned or forgotten! What a gracious, merciful, and peace-giving Lord He is!3
Our Savior to the End
Right now Jesus is risen and seated in Heaven. He will continue reigning there until He has put all His enemies under His feet.4 In the Book of Revelation, Christ is called the Lion of Judah and the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus is both the conquering King and the perfect Sacrifice at the same time.6 Christ is called the Lamb 28 times in Revelation and God’s church was bought with Jesus’ own blood.7 His death and resurrection continue to be the only way we can have access to God and life. Human history and destiny are fulfilled by Christ and His Kingdom (His eternal empire of grace and peace). Don’t miss out, dear ones. Scripture says: Today is the day of salvation. Do not harden your hearts.
I’m so glad I learned to trust You,
Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend.
And I know that You are with me,
Will be with me to the end.8
You may sometimes feel abandoned and orphaned, Christian. But Jesus says: I love you and laid down my life for you. I love you right now, I pray for you, and I will help you all through this life. And I love you so much that I will come back again to bring you home with Me. I am your blessed hope.
Remember that Christ Remembers Us
Jesus has given us His creation so that we remember Him, our Maker. And He’s given us the Lord’s Day (Sunday) to recall and celebrate His resurrection on the first day of each new week. Christ has also given us the Lord’s Supper (Communion) so that “whenever we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”9
Jesus will not forget His followers. Isaiah says that He has engraved us on the palms of His nail-pierced hands. Charles Wesley (1707–1788) picked up on Isaiah’s words, seen in light of Christ’s New Testament fulfillment. Wesley was an English leader of the Methodist movement and penned about 6,500 hymns. One of my favorites is “Arise, My Soul, Arise.”
1. Arise, my soul, arise. Shake off your guilty fears.
The bleeding Sacrifice in my behalf appears.
Before the Throne my Surety stands. My name is written on His hands.
2. He ever lives above for me to intercede,
His all-redeeming love, His precious blood to plead.
His blood atoned for every race and sprinkles now the throne of grace.
3. Five bleeding wounds He bears, received on Calvary.
They pour effectual prayers, they strongly plead for me.
Forgive them, O forgive, they cry, nor let that ransomed sinner die!
4. My God is reconciled. His pardoning voice I hear.
He owns me for His child. I can no longer fear.
With confidence I now draw nigh and “Father, Abba, Father!” cry.
Wesley alludes to many Scriptures in this hymn, including Isaiah 49:16. He also reminds us of Hebrews 7:25. It says that Jesus is able to save completely, forever, perfectly, and for eternity those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for us. Robert Murray M’Cheyne said: “If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million of enemies. Yet the distance makes no difference. He is praying for me!” (Page 350) 1 John 2:1-2 also says that when Christ’s followers sin, we have an advocate (defense attorney) with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
Christ will never forget you, beloved. Read the Scriptures, asking the Holy Spirit to help you trust and obey them. And gather with other Christians for worship, prayer, and mutual sharpening. The Bible says: Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for God who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Don’t give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day of Christ’s return approaching. (Heb 10:23-25)
Remember that Jesus remembers you. And communicate with God the Father using prayers of adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication (ACTS) all through the day. Our prayers don’t need to be long. It’s more important for us to communicate with God often. Pastor Eugene Peterson says, “Lord, seven times each day I stop and shout praises for the way You keep everything running right.”10 That’s what I want to do and a discipline I need to develop more.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, help us to trust You today, for the first time, or the millionth time. Help us trust Your promises in the Bible, especially in hard times, when we feel so lonely and afraid. Forgive us for thinking that Your silence is indifference. Help us to see those times as faith-stretching, times for spiritual growth. Give us faith to trust in Your unseen presence with us – to remember that You first loved us – and to love You back and speak to You in prayer. Hang on to us and help us hang on to You by faith all our lives, until we see You face to face. Lord, hear us, help us, and have mercy upon us. We pray in Your name. Amen.
Notes (various Bible translations): 1 Eccles 3:11. 2 Augustine of Hippo (354–430), in Confessions. 3 adapted from Charles Hodge (1797-1878). 4 1 Cor 15:25. 5 Heb 1:3. 6 Is 53:7; John 1:29,36. 7 Acts 20:28. 8 Louisa Stead, “Tis, so Sweet to Trust in Jesus,” 1882. 9 1 Cor 11:23-34. 10 Psalm 119:164, The Message.