[Mr. Steve Myers]: Sometimes our minds can get to working overtime, and maybe you have wondered at times what God's thinking about you today. What has God got on His mind? “Is He really interested in me?” Maybe you've wondered. I wonder, where is God? He seems to have forgotten about the situation that I've been in. Maybe you've even gotten to a point at times you've felt that God abandoned you or that God gave up on me. I mean, perhaps you've prayed and you've prayed for days, for months, maybe even years for God to resolve a situation. And yet it seems like it's only gotten worse. Hasn't gotten any better. Perhaps you're dealing with a health crisis. Maybe you're dealing with a challenging marriage, perhaps a wayward child, or maybe even just a family situation that just doesn't get fixed. It seems like it's never going to be resolved. So where are You, God?

And those thoughts tend to come to mind and maybe even we think, “Wow, what's wrong with me? Why am I thinking that? I must be the only one that thinks this way.” Well, that's just not the case at all. You're not alone. In fact, if you turn with me over to Psalm 42, we find King David actually writing down, not only verbalizing, but making a song from some of those very same thoughts. Now, you're familiar with Psalm 42 because we sing some of these words in our song service. The hymnal has the song “As The Deer,” and that is taken from Psalm 42. Very beautiful, beautiful melody. But notice what David is dealing with in Psalm 42. Look at verse 3. David says,

Psalm 42:3 - “My tears have been my food, day and night.” Verse 4, he says, “My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be.” Verse 5, he says, “Why are you cast down?” Some translations say, “Why am I so discouraged? Why is my heart so sad?” Verse 6, “My soul is cast down. I am deeply discouraged.”

Verse 9, “ ‘O God my rock,’ I cry, ‘Why have you forgotten me? Why am I so discouraged?’ ” In fact, verse 11, he says it again, “Why are you cast down, O my soul? Why are you disquieted within me? Why is my heart so sad?” And so that kind of thinking we see pervades much of the Psalms. In fact, if we look across the page, well, at least in my Bible, Chapter 43, some of the same thoughts are here once again. Verse 2, “You are the God of my strength, why do You cast me off?” “What are You doing,” - in other words – “God? I don't understand. Have You forgotten me? Have You overlooked me?” Verse 5, he says it again, “Why are you cast down, O my soul? Why are you disquieted within me?” And, of course, when we consider the circumstances of our life, maybe it's a job issue, maybe it's my work, or maybe it's my finances. I just don't have enough to stretch long enough and far enough to be able to make it. And perhaps we begin to lose hope, and it begins to feel like maybe God's left. And those thoughts of God, where are You, begin to come to mind. Have You overlooked me? Why? Why does it seem that You've ignored me? Why does it seem that You've disregarded me when I need You most?

And it may be stress. Are we stressed in our lives today? Maybe it's anxiety. Maybe it's a panic attack. In those situations, have you ever wondered, “Why have You not heard me when I need You most God? Have You abandoned me? Why don't You seem to be there?” And, of course, as those thoughts come, there is a solution. I mean, we're not alone in that kind of thinking. And yet God has a solution that we can have comfort. We can have encouragement. We can have hope, even though sometimes it seems overwhelming. I mean, it wasn't just David. If we turn the page a little bit and go to the book of Isaiah, it seems that the whole first half of Isaiah, up to about Chapter 27 deals with that kind of thinking. And, of course, Israel and Judah were faced with the results of their sin. And it seemed that same way to them.

If you look at Isaiah 40. Isaiah 40 beginning in verse 27, we see this same thought. Now this isn't just an individual saying and thinking these things, here we've got a whole group of people that have kind of come to that same conclusion. And so, in Isaiah 40:27, God asked the question,

Isaiah 40:27 – “Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel?” So here we've got the whole people, the country. What are they saying? “My way is hidden from the Lord.” God doesn't see me. “And my just claim is passed over by my God.” And so that frame of thought is pervading their thinking and they can't get out from under the idea that somehow God isn't there. God isn't concerned with them. God isn't paying any attention to their life. In fact, we see that same thought continue to come to mind if you turn a few pages to Chapter 49. Chapter 49:14, we see a similar expression. Now said in a little bit different way, the people expressing this, not just Jacob and Israel, notice the way they're referred to here in Isaiah 49:14. It begins by saying,

Isaiah 49:14 - “Zion said...” Zion, of course, that's Israel, God's people. And we recognize that applies to us today as well. We are Zion. We are the church of God, Zion. We are His people, spiritual Israel. We know this applies to us as well.

And what does Zion say? “Zion said, ‘The Lord has forsaken me and my Lord has forgotten me.’ ” And sometimes life circumstances leads us to think that way. And we might feel bogged down like we're in quicksand, and we just can't get out of it because the adversities continue to mount up. And the afflictions that we have to deal with seem to be rising. And those hardships that we face in life just seem to start covering over our mouth and we can't breathe. And it seems to keep dragging us just deeper and deeper into despair. And sometimes life feels that way. And what we find throughout the Bible is we're not alone. It's not uncommon for us to think at times that, “Well, maybe God has forgotten me. Maybe He's not really paying attention to me.” “I mean, why is it that I can never seem to catch a break? I mean, what happened, God? You know I've been praying about this, and those thoughts come to mind. Why can't I get that job so I can provide for my family? You tell me I need to provide for my family, why doesn't it seem to happen? Where is that godly spouse that I've been praying for? I want to serve You. And I want a family like You want a family. Why can't that happen?” And we wonder about those things.

And, in fact, the number of ways that discouragement can just continue to mount up seem endless. And so, it begs the question, is God really that concerned about me? I mean, can we be reassured that God has actually got me in mind? Is He really thinking about me? I mean, is He really interested in my puny, little life? Well, to answer the question, let's look at the way God responds in Isaiah 49:15. God poses a rhetorical question as He answers that. Isaiah 49:15, this is like God speaking, and God says,

Isaiah 49:15 – “Can a woman forget her nursing child and not have compassion on the son of her womb?” And, of course, we ask that question today, and we look at our society, we look at our world, and we know it's a horrible place. It's a horrible place. People turn their backs on their children. They abuse their children. It's everywhere in this culture today. God recognizes that as well. Yes, it goes against what God intended, but all too often, that is the case where people turn their backs on their families and abuse takes hold.

And so, God answers the question honestly, “Can a woman forget her nursing child?” He says, “Surely, they may forget, but remember that's not Me.” He says, “Yet I will not forget you.” I will not. They might, but I am your God. I will never forget you. I will not. And then He says something interesting to emphasize that very point. Notice what He says in verse 16, “Can a woman forget her nursing child? They might forget, but I won't.” And here's one way I won't forget. Verse 16, “See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands.”

We are right there on God's palms. He's inscribed us on His palm. This is the Hebrew word kaph. And it's an interesting word because it's not only a word, but it's also a letter in the alphabet. And if you go back and you look at the ancient pictographs of what that letter would've looked like, guess what it looked like? Like an open palm. It's shaped that very way. It resembled the palm that is opened up. And, in fact, today, that word is still used. Kaph is used in Modern Hebrew. And do you know what the word means today? It means spoon. And think about a spoon for a moment. What is a spoon shaped like? It's shaped like the palm of your hand. It's something used in serving, keeps that idea going. And so it's upturned and it's cupped. It's capable of holding or carrying something. And it's very closely related, if you study the language, it's closely related to the word kavanah. And that word means to focus. And it's also related to another word, kaph is related to the word kal, not to call out, but it means to carry. So to focus, and to carry, and to be open, to serve. That begins to reflect the kind of God that we have.

And that's what God is showing us. How much He really does care about us. What's a reflection of God's love? I mean, it is hard to grasp it sometimes. It's hard to really hold onto it, but He's saying we are His and He created us, and He breathed life into us. And it was His breath that gave us the breath of life. And we're made to be in His family forever. It's not like some human family, but nope, instead, He's creating a spiritual family and that means He doesn't want us to stop existing. He wants us to exist for eternity. And so imagine what's happening here. I mean, what's more valuable than something that lasts forever? Never wears out. And that's the image that God wants us to see that we, as God's created beings, we're the only ones that have that kind of value. In fact, you could say your name is inscribed, it is etched, it is engraved into eternity. In fact, when you look at verse 16, if you were to read this in the Amplified Bible, just follow along for a moment. In the Amplified Bible, it says this, it says, “Behold, I have indelibly imprinted you on the palm of each of My hands.”

So here's God speaking, saying, “You're indelible.” Indelible, meaning you can't get this erased. You can't remove this. You can't wash it away. You can't blot it out. You can't cancel it. You could never forget it because it's pointed to something that's lasting and you can't lose it. You can't annul it. Cannot be forgotten. And that's us. And here's this beautiful expression of the grace of God that He favors us just because He is God, because that's who He is. And this beautiful metaphor, this beautiful expression of God's amazing love is one that we should never forget. In fact, it brings us back to maybe an actual custom that this is also bringing to mind. In fact, if you study some of the ancient cultures in Jewish practice, many of the scholars feel this is a reference to some of those practices. And what would they do? Well, back in ancient times, some of the Jews would actually tattoo their hands with, I guess, what you call a painting or a tattoo of Jerusalem or a tattoo of the temple.

Why would they do that? It was for remembrance. It was so they wouldn't forget. They were taken into captivity and they were to never forget Jerusalem. So some of them went to that extent. In fact, they actually called them “Ensigns of Jerusalem,” signs, signs of Jerusalem, and they put them right on the palms of their hands or their arms. In fact, it's very interesting the way that they actually did that. They would start by taking a block of wood and they would carve that image of the temple, let's say, into that piece of wood. And then once that was all carved, they would take charcoal or a dark powder. And they would it on that image that's on the block. Then, of course, they would take that block and they would stamp it, stamp it right there on their palm. Now, of course, the powder or the charcoal would just wash off. And so then they would take little needles and begin to dip them in certain kinds of ink, and then outline that image, trying to be careful not to draw blood, all along the edge of that image until finally they were finished. And then they would wash off the charcoal and there it was. They'd wash it off interestingly with wine, and that would finish the project. And the purpose was so they would never forget, never forget the temple, never forget Jerusalem.

And so this harkens back to that very thing. And yet we know tattoos don't cut it. That's not what it's about. Here we see there's something much more important that is being brought to memory, and it's God Himself remembering us. Remembering us. And He says, “We are inscribed.” And that's another very interesting word that's used throughout the Bible. It sounds like a kind of a unique word here in Isaiah 49:16, but actually, it's used over 200 times throughout the Old Testament. And it's used in a number of different ways, always related to writing down a message. And that message, I mean, if you studied the word, it could be written in stone. I mean, it could be written on paper. It could be written on plaster. Or it could be written on sand. And sometimes, you have it even written on skin. But you know what's interesting about that word, is that it means more than just recording a message. So much more than just that. What those cases refer to is the fact that what that is written, how that's written down is something that is unchangeable, something that cannot be altered. And usually, it's in connection to the binding nature of the Word of God, God's promises. Because God said it and we're recording this and we're writing this down and it is fixed. It is sure. It is absolute. It is written. And it will be done.

And it emphasizes that surety of God. And so it's very interesting the way that this word is used. In fact, sometimes it's even translated, portrayed, which kind of leads us to this idea of an image or a picture that might be drawn, or a likeness. But it wouldn't be just a general kind of an image, but this is something that's very specific. Something that's very precise. Something that's a detailed image of what's written down. And that's what's drawing us to this very thing. No wonder the Amplified Bible says, “You are indelibly imprinted on the palms of God.” And I think it's also important to recognize what it doesn't say. What doesn't it say? I mean, it doesn't say, “Behold, I put you on the palms of My hands written with invisible ink.” I mean, it doesn't say that. Disappearing ink, no, not that. Dissolvable, no. None of those things. He doesn't say, “Behold, I've written you on My hands with pencil so I can erase you later.” He doesn't say that. It's not something that's fleeting. This is something that's lasting. Something that will not...in fact, cannot fade away over time.

So if you were to think of it in that way, it's almost like God is using a spiritual Sharpie, right? He's using something that is a permanent marker, permanent. I mean, have you ever done that yourself? Anybody ever written on their hand? Any of you remember our marriage seminar, we wrote on our hands some things during that time that we didn't wanna forget, but you write on your hand. Why do you write on your hands? Because you wanna remember something. Why? Well, you look at the palm of your hands throughout the day. So you go to grab your morning coffee, there's your palm right in front of you. You begin to fix your hair before church, there's your hands. Your palms are facing you right then. You go to open a drawer. All those ways, our hands, our palms are right before us. And then, of course, for some of us, we can't help talking without using our hands. And there they are right before us throughout the day. And so, as we think about that, writing something on your palm, it's almost always a sure proof way that you won't forget, that you are going to remember.

So think about that in terms of Isaiah 49:16, imagine you are engraved on God's palm. And that's not just our name, there's a few translations that say our name is on His palm, but most translations, the majority of translations say, “I have engraved you.” You, not just your name. And that gets to the fullness of who we are. “I've engraved you. I've inscribed you. I've imprinted you on My palm. Your person, your image, your cause, your cry, your case. That includes your worries, your fears, your temptations, yes, your anxieties, depression, weaknesses, your needs. They're inscribed with you on My palms, your personality, your wants, your desires, your circumstances.” See, God is telling all of that in Isaiah 49. He's reminding us of that very fact. He's saying, “I've inscribed everything that concerns you and it is before me all the day.” Everything about you is on My palms. It's on My mind. So it's amazing to think about that we have an awesome God. We have such a graceful God, the God of the universe, the Almighty God, the all-powerful One, the One who knows everything, the One who created all things has us imprinted right there on His palms.

David understood that. But if you read all of Psalm 42, where we began, he begins to recall those very things that God certainly wants us to keep in mind. In fact, you might just write down Psalm 31:15. That's where King David recognized that very fact. And he said, “My times are in your hand.” In other words, “Everything about me, my life is in Your hand. The course of what's going on with me every single day is in Your hands. My future is in Your hands. My every moment is right there in Your palms. My circumstances, the happenings in my life, nothing escapes You. Nothing gets beyond You. Nothing's beyond Your control. There are plenty of things, God, that I recognize are beyond my control, and I can't fix it, I can't deal with it. And I'm tired and I'm worn out and I'm weary, but You know and You understand. And it is in Your palms, and You understand those circumstances that I have to deal with. And what do I find? Security. I find hope. I find reassurance in Your hands.”

Now that's definitely not saying once saved, always saved. We have to stay close to God. We have a part to play. We can wrest our way away from the grasp of God, but God's not letting go. He holds us in His hands and in His palms is such a beautiful, protected place. He holds us in those hands. And He carries us during those times, even when it may not seem like it, He is there and He promises to do just that. And, of course, as you think about that, it doesn't take much. When we need protection to bring those hands in, and now we've got a fist. And God's gonna protect us and He can hold onto us. And when we are threatened, He's there to watch over us. And He's there to guide us, because He not only holds us and carries us, He leads us, and He guides us, and He keeps us in His hands. And so what a beautiful reminder, we're never out of His hands, never out of His mind. And there's not a single moment when He takes us out of His hands, when He takes us off of His mind. And so imagine, He's so unlike us, that He's never distracted. He's never caught off guard. His attention never goes anywhere else. His phone never rings and then He says, “Hang on just a second there...”

No, that's not God at all. And so it's such a great reminder, when I feel abandoned, when I feel discouraged, when I feel left out, when I feel, “Where are You, God,” I got to step back for a moment and recognize, yeah, that's exactly what they are, feelings. They're feelings. Feelings are just that. They're feelings. They're not reality. I mean, yeah, we've gotta deal with our feelings and we gotta recognize feelings can betray us. Feelings can take our minds the wrong way. They can overwhelm us. They can beat us down and they can cripple us if we allow that. But the reality, what God is telling us here, the reality of the fact is that God has made a covenant with us. And in old times to make a covenant meant to cut an agreement. To cut an agreement. And so imagine how that reflects in God inscribing us on His palms. The reality is that a covenant has been cut on our behalf, and whether I feel it or not, that's not the point, I can trust God. He says, I can trust Him. In fact, He reminds us, we are in perfect hands with God. Now, maybe that reminds you of an Allstate commercial or something like that. You're in good hands with Allstate. Well, we're not in good hands with God, we are in perfect hands. The ultimate hands. We are in His spiritual grasp.

And He is not about to let go, no matter how we feel, no matter what it seems like, the reality is God loves us and cares for us and would never, never, couldn't abandon us. And He keeps reminding us of that fact over and over and over again. And if you're like me, I was like a little more proof. Any more proof of that fact that that's really the case, that we're always on God's mind. I mean, what's another proof of God's love for me? Well, think about it for a moment. Look at the hands of Jesus Christ. Think about that for a moment. He Has engraved you on His palms. Think of Christ, He wears the wounds of the crucifixion. He was crucified for us. And when we consider that, if you ever wonder if God really loves you, “Do You really pour out Your grace on me? I don't deserve it.” And yet here we're told over and over again, by the power of the Resurrection, when we think of the pierced hands of Jesus Christ, it is such a reminder that we are inscribed on His palms.

In fact, just a chapter or two from here in Isaiah 53, we're reminded of that very fact. Notice Isaiah 53, we'll begin in verse 5, here's a familiar passage we read every year. Hopefully, we read it more than that. But it's a reminder at the time of the Passover because it reminds us of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and how much He truly does care about us and how He could never leave us forgotten or lost or abandoned. So, in Isaiah 53:5, He reminds us,

Isaiah 53: 5 – “He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised...” In fact, if I personalize this, He was bruised for my iniquities. The chastisement for my peace was upon Him. And by His stripes, I am healed. I am healed. Yes, we've all gone astray. I've gone astray. I've turned to my own way. And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of all of us. And so we see He was oppressed. He was afflicted. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. So He opened naught His mouth and He took what I deserved. And so, we recognize Isaiah 49 is pointing to this very event. It was a precursor to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The wounds that He suffered were for me. He was bruised for me. He was nailed to the tree for me.

The wounds in His hands is a clear message of the love of God for me that hits back even to that ancient custom. And it cements that lesson that God always cares. That God always loves us. That He always protects us. That He always cherishes us. I mean, how could He forget? It's right there on His hands. He wears the marks. He wears those marks as well. And we think about how He appeared after the crucifixion, remember how He appeared to the disciples? And they recognized Him immediately. Yeah, but one of them wasn't there when He appeared to the others. One of them wasn't so sure about that. Maybe I don't know if God really cares. I don't know if it's possible. I don't think it could be, “Boy, unless I see it, I'm not gonna believe it.” Yeah. We all remember that guy. Don't we? But when Christ finally appeared to Thomas, what did He tell him? What did He tell him? He said, “Look at My hands.” That's where He began. Look at My hands. So John 20 reminds us of that. Yeah, He said more than that, but don't be unbelieving, be believing. And when Thomas looked at His hands and saw His side, what did he say? “My Lord and my God,” proof of God's loving mercy, and His care, and His grace poured out on all of us.

And, in fact, the story doesn't end. It doesn't end just with the crucifixion and then Christ resurrection. It goes on. And Christ continues to show us the depth of God's compassion and love and mercy for us. If you turn with me over to Luke 12:31. Luke 12:31, it's an amazing passage that builds on this beautiful metaphor. Here in Luke 12:31, you'll recognize a very familiar passage. Probably more often than not we read it in Matthew. Matthew 6:33 is a parallel passage to Luke 12:31. In fact, we sing the words of this song in our hymns. Don't we? If you're already there, Luke 12:31,

Luke 12:31 – “Seek the Kingdom of God, seek ye first the Kingdom of God,” we sing those words and it says, “All these things shall be added to you.” And so it gives us our marching orders. We've gotta stay close to God. We've gotta seek His Kingdom. And as we do that, do we have to be fearful? Do we have to worry? Do we have to wonder, does God really care? Does He really love me? Is He really there for me, even when it seems that He's not?

Well, verse 32, it says, “Do not fear.” Don't have anxiety. Don't have depression. Don't worry about these things little flock. He says “It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.” You see, because God knows we can't earn it. It is gift of God. Eternal life is the gift of God. We can't earn it. And so we have a loving Father who gave His Son so that He can give us eternal life. And it is amazing how this story just ties together so beautifully from what He wants us to recognize. Because when all this is said and done, when it's all over, in fact, Luke records what's gonna happen. If we skip down to verse 37, here we are. Christ has returned. The Kingdom is established. And notice this beautiful illustration that is to reflect the great wonderful mercy and grace of God. Verse 37, Christ says, “Blessed are those servants, whom the master when he comes, will find watching.” Okay. We've gotta be doing our part. Christ is our Master. He is our Lord. He is our Savior. No doubt about that. But when He comes, notice the image that it paints, He says, “Assuredly, I say to you that He,” the Master, Christ, “will gird Himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.” And so here we have a beautiful prophetic picture. And what do we see? We see the returning Jesus Christ humble before us, caring before us, loving. We have our Savior. We have the Messiah, Christ Himself, our Servant Lord giving.

We have our Savior. And what is He doing? What does this image picture? He's waiting on us. He's waiting on us. He's like the returning barista. Isn't He? Well, He's like the butler, the waiter, the assistant. He's the attendant. He's...wait a second. Isn't that all... That's kind of wacky. That's all turned around. Isn't it? Masters don't serve and wait tables. And yet here, we find the returning Christ, the master girding Himself, having us sit down to eat and it says, “He will come and serve us.” Boy, that brings us right back to the palms of His hands. It identifies with that inscription on His hands. When you think about it, it's all reversed. It doesn't make sense humanly speaking. And you think back to ancient times, boy, that sure would not have been the case because, who were the ones that were inscribed? Who were the ones that had the marks on them? Who were the ones that were branded? Who were the ones that were owned by others? The slaves. The slaves were the ones that were branded with the mark of their master. And yet here, the picture is turned all around.

This isn't talking about a slave bearing the marks of his master, here Christ is demonstrating God's overwhelming love and grace and mercy. And on the master's hands, the servants are inscribed. We are on His palms. And it's such a beautiful story because we think what He's gonna be doing in the future, it does bring us back to the past as well. Can you think of a time that this passage comes into play as well? Christ says, “I will gird Myself, sit down to eat with you, and I'll serve you.” Can you think of another meal where He had the servants sit down for a meal and He girded Himself? The Passover. That Passover that He longed to celebrate. The Passover where He gave the symbols of His body and His blood. He girded Himself and He washed feet, and He served, and He proved Isaiah 49:16. And so imagine that picture in the future. Imagine a scene like this, where Christ is serving us a meal. And as He passes us the bread. We can't help but think of those passages where He said, “I'll never eat of it again until it's fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Remember that's what He told the disciples. And I'm sure it would come to mind as well when He said, “I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now until that day when I drink it anew with you in the kingdom of My Father.” That will certainly come to mind.

And I can only imagine, as He serves us and He reaches His hands out to give, and to help, and to serve, what will we see? Will we see the scars, the marks of indelible grace, unchangeable mercy be right there in front of us. The marks of that eternal covenant that is cut into His hands. And that reminder will always be there in that sense that we are safe. We are in the safest of hands as He assures us and He gives us protection and He promises and He's given us a guarantee of His love and His mercy. And so no wonder, over and over and over again, He reminds us, when those feelings of abandonment, when those feelings of discouragement, when those feelings of doubt come to our mind, He wants us to recognize He is our Master and He is right there for us no matter what. In fact, in the Book of John, John 10:27, He reminds us of that assurance a little different way, but it ties in with this exact same idea. And He says it as our Master, as the One who watches over us. And here He uses this idea of a sheep-fold because we are His sheep. And in John 10:27, Christ talks about His sheep. We're familiar with this verse. Notice how it ties in with this concept of being inscribed on His hands. Christ says, “My sheep, hear My voice.” And I don't know who they are, no, “I know them, I know them and they follow Me.”

And He very positively says, “I give them eternal life and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” But it doesn't stop there, He says, “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all. And no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. I and my Father are One.” And so we are reminded by the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, we are in the Father's hands as well. And so what God has indelibly inscribed on His palms is something that cannot be forgotten, and as He says, for eternity. And so we can take safety, we can take security, we're given shelter in Their hands. And so when those doubts come, when those questions come to mind, whether God's really interested in me, or if I feel like maybe He lost track of me, maybe He's forgotten me. Or if I worry that I've gone too far and He's given up on me, and whether or not I wonder whether God's thinking about me today, remember these passages. Never forget. We are constantly before God.

And in a sense, He is consumed with our care. We're on His mind and He's consumed about providing for us, and helping us, and giving to us what we need for life. And what we need to be successful. What we need for godliness. And what we need to grow spiritually in a closer relationship with Him. He wants to continue to give us exactly what we need so we can always endure. And so if those thoughts of doubt and discouragement come, remember Isaiah 49:16. Praise Him, help that lead us to worship Him, and to thank Him. Help those doubts and those discouragements to drive us to praise, and worship, and prayer. And thank Him for being intimately aware of who we are, that He knows exactly how much we are facing in our life. And He knows everything that's going on. Thank Him for knowing the details. Thank Him for recognizing our lives and what's happening even better than we do because He knows.

Thank Him, praise Him for caring for us, and giving us this beautiful representation of His grace and His mercy. And we can pray and we can ask God for the help that we need so we overcome those negative feelings, so we can live now, we can live in the moment. And as we walk through our days, and as we live our life, we can ask Him to help us with the negativity, help us to draw closer to Him, and we can ask and pray for Him to help us to realize what a special place He has for us. What an exceptional position that He wants to give us. And so we can pray and ask Him to continue to help us to live with confidence and assurance, because we know God Has inscribed you on the palms of His hand.

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