Morning Mercies
Loren Regier
13 Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. 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. Isaiah 49:13-16
How good is your memory? Who was your third-grade teacher? Your first pastor? The name of President Nixon’s vice president? Not so easy is it? Why? We forget things. God does not.
My grandson visited our home recently and was, of course, a joy to our hearts. Two–year–olds are charmed with good looks, charm, and an unusual ability to mimic words and phrases they hear – albeit imperfectly. The language of 2 & 3-year-olds is precious and one of the phrases our Callan was using a lot was “memerdat.” Memerdat is not the name of some newly discovered island or rodent in Namibia it is baby talk for remember that?
Apparently, though only two years of age, it seems that he felt it necessary to remind us of things he felt we were forgetting (to play with him, read him a book, take him to the park, or all three). Hey, it’s a simple life but these are the promises kids remember!
“Mermerdat Memoo?” is his way of saying, “Remember me, Grammy?” — Come play with me! Look at me! Hold me! Spend time with me! It is one thing to know God is omniscient, even better to know He is compassionate. Love is the spark that fuels His memory.
As you may know, the prophet Isaiah was sent to his people to warn them that their unrelenting sin would send them into captivity. God’s voice was one of the last voices to them before they were taken to Babylon (586 BC). However, He also wanted them to remember that no matter how bad it got and how far they were taken from Zion, He would never forget His promises to His people. No, God would not forget one word of all His promises. Such a reminder brought comfort to them in pending crisis. Isaiah’s ministry spanned the administrations of five Kings of Judah and the capitol city was Jerusalem or Zion.
In the passage above, Isaiah is reminding the heavens and the hills to sing (can you picture the first scene in the Sound of Music?). Why are heavens and earth to sing? Why is Mt. Zion alive with the sound of music? It is because, though under great duress and opposition from enemies around them, she is preserved by a promise! And a God who can’t forget and does not lie will not forget his children. A mother could not easily forget her nursing infant! Even if she fails to remember even one feeding, her child’s cries would bring her back to reality. Mothers know that during this time of life, as much as babies need them, mothers need their babies. “Even though they may forget, yet will I not forget” (v 15).
God reminds us with the strongest illustration imaginable, as improbable as it would be for a mother to forget her infant, it is impossible that I will forget my plan for my people! Her walls are always before Me; her name is engraved upon My hands. Isn’t it a securing truth that in His heart, His head, and on His very hands we are the continual longing of God? He remembers us because He loves us.
Comfort ye, my people, God does not forget his own.