Yet Jerusalem says, “The Lord has deserted us; the Lord has forgotten us.”

Isaiah 49:14

There are times I feel forgotten. Forgotten by those who should remember. Forgotten on days that are special or outstanding. Forgotten by the ones I love and I believe love me. The cloak of invisibility hangs over me as life hurries and pushes along without a thought of my existence.

When I feel forgotten, I lose hope. Hope that life will ever be better or joyful or routine again. And then I pause. Am I truly forgotten? Is that possible?

Sing for joy, O heavens! Rejoice, O earth! Burst into song, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on them in their suffering. Yet Jerusalem says, “The Lord has deserted us; the Lord has forgotten us.” “Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.

Isaiah 49:13-16

Yes, it is possible to feel forgotten.

No, it is not possible for God to forget us.

When I was younger, I wrote important things on my hands, the things I didn’t want to forget. I never went so far as to engrave (tatoo) anything on my hands, to put it there permanently. But I have a Father in heaven who loves me more than the most devoted mother, and he has gone the distance and engraved my name in the palm of his hand. Perhaps it is the nail mark that reminds him of me. Or perhaps it’s just a vivid picture of the permanence of his love for me.

You have not been forgotten. The love of the Father is so deep and wide and long and high that he cannot possibly forget you or abandon you. Even if it feels like it.