A coworker, a believer, recently came to me and expressed his doubts about God's goodness in his life. So many things had gone wrong recently for him, and he simply ached over them. "God must have abandoned me," he said tearfully.
I noticed that someone had written with marker on his hand. I confirmed that it was from a school event, where they put a mark on your hand to indicate you've paid the entrance fee.
I took his hand and said, "You see this? That was done with a 'permanent' marker, and it will come off in a few days, won't it?" He nodded yes. And then I took him to Isaiah 49, where God tells Israel of his faithfulness to them even in their desperate time:
But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me."
"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 49:14-16
I continued to encourage my brother: "When God adopted you, He gave you life, and he engraved your name on the palms of his hands. He didn't use a magic marker that will wear off with a little soap and scrubbing, you are carved into palms. Jesus promised never to leave us or forsake us. Cling to that promise, no matter how you feel."
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