OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - SATURDAY - 31/05/2014 - IN VIEW? BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

IN VIEW?

MEMORISE

Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

Isaiah 49:16

READ

Isaiah 49:14-16

14 But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.

15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.

16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

MESSAGE

One of the most depressing experiences of life is being forgotten by friends, relatives, family members, and those you really count on. Somehow you hope that you mean enough to people around that they won’t just forget and abandon you when you need them the most. This is so important to the average person that some have joined social clubs and endure inconveniencies to attend social functions and ceremonies as a means of building future credit with people in order to guarantee patronage whenever the need arises. The fear of being alone, forgotten, abandoned and separated from loved ones is so genuine and real that Jesus had to cry aloud with much agony when He suffered a similar fate on the cross of cavalry. The Bible in Matthew 27:46 says,

“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

Worst still, there are times when it seems as if the whole world is crashing on you; when life beats you down and gets the best of you, when friends and relatives are nowhere to be found. At such times, prayer begins to feel empty and God feels distant, almost as if He has forgotten you. It is very easy at this point to think that you have been deserted by God. If you ever find yourself in such a situation, be sure to stay closer to the word of God for constant reminders that God cares and that He is a present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1); He will never abandon you. I pray that whenever you call upon the Lord in times of trouble, He will answer in Jesus’ Name. No matter what you are going through, just hold on to Jesus and He will see you through.

God asked a rhetoric question in Isaiah 49:15a:

“Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?”

We know that it is seemingly impossible for that to happen, but God says even if it were possible, He will never forget you. You can rest on His word of promise because our God is dependable. God went on to say that He has engraved you on the palms of His hands; what a promise, what a word! Engravings are permanent inscriptions, therefore it symbolises an obsessed lover writing the name of his loved one on his hands for constant remembrance.

PRAYER POINT

Father, thank you for engraving me on the palm of your hand. Thank you for having me in constant remembrance.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Exodus 17-19; Psalm 116