Day 18 - ‘in-a-minute’
Good Morning
God’s response to an accusation by his people, that He had forgotten them was to say “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.” Isaiah 49:16. Perhaps, you can identify with that if you feel it’s been a long time since ‘God’s touch.’ You’re hanging in there for your spiritual life but in your head, you wonder has God forgotten you. The picture God gives is all about Tattoos. eg If I Self-Tattoo the name “Jennie” on my arm. I am told there’s a lot more pain in tattooing oneself than going to a tattooist.
This is a picture the Israelites, would have known very well. In Babylonia (where they had been taken into exile) the Babylonians would tattoo the name of their god on their hands to remind them who they belonged to and who controlled them. God replies to the accusation ‘have you forgotten us’ with words that mean ‘I have tattooed you on the palms of my hands.’
If you were to scrape JESUS you would be like the Babylonians of the time remembering who controlled you/given yourself to. Notice you are not tattooing God’s name on your hands - GOD tattooing your name on HIS hands BOTH hands, God is saying I love you so much I am so certain of the permanence of our relationship I have engraved you on my hands, think of the pain and the permanence, your name on his hands and God is saying I can not & will never forget you.
When Jesus went to the cross and took the nails in his hands for you and me – he was saying… this is forever, I have your name on the palm of my hands – I will never forget you.
Such love, let us thank him today, express your adoration and say Jesus is your Lord.
May God Bless you, today
Kelvin<><
Prayer
“Loving Father, if your love for us is more than that of a mother for her child, how you must love us! Your love is tender and nurtures us, your love is strong and does anything to save us, your love is ample and transforms us into the likeness of Christ. As a child learns to love from loving parents, help us so to learn.” Amen. [Anon]
Today Let us pray for:
Family Life, parenting skills for all parents, step-parents, foster parents, adoptive parents, single parents, grandparents, God-parents
For Single people in your church family
For those who are the only Christian in their family
Give thanks for being one of God’s children, having a loving, nurturing, disciplining Heavenly father.
O God, as truly as you are our Father, so just as truly you can Mother us. We thank you, for your strength and goodness. We thank you, for the closeness of your caring. O God, we thank you for the great love you have for each one of us Julian of Norwich (1342-1416)
