I’m one of those people that throws around the word favorite a lot. “She’s my favorite person.” “That’s my favorite restaurant.” Blah. Blah. But, honestly, this is my absolute favorite verse(s). And it has been for a while.

But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.”
“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget, I will not forget you!
See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are ever before me.”
-Isaiah 49:14–16

It just speaks to me. If I were asked to read these verses to a group of people, forget it. They would all be really uncomfortable because there is a 100% chance I would be crying. Let me break it down why these verses have this effect on me.

First, it starts out…

“The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.”

Maybe I’m a drama queen, but I feel this fairly regularly. Not so much “forsaken” as in He’s turned His back on me. But, maybe that language is just a little strong for me – forsaken is kind of harsh. It seems like I should be tearing my clothes off and screaming, and that’s not an everyday feeling for me.

But, forgotten? Yes. I sometimes often think He’s forgotten me.
Or just given up on me altogether.

I feel like a 5-year-old little girl saying, “Do you remember me, God?”

So that first verse is my line: “God, I think you’ve forgotten about me, and maybe given up on me altogether.”

Then God says: “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?”

And this is such a great line because he’s leading us somewhere. He’s saying…

“Could a loving mother forget a newborn baby that she birthed and nourished?”

“Could a mother possibly have no compassion and love for a child that is her very own flesh?”

As a first-time mom who is currently 38 weeks pregnant, trust me, this is a rhetorical question. I haven’t even seen my precious daughter’s face yet, and I already have so much love for her that it’s making me crazy. I think about her constantly. What will she be like? What will she look like? Will I ever be able to show her how much I love her and care for her?

So, the idea of forgetting her is ridiculous. Remembering to think and care about anything else besides her, now that’s a problem.

So, the question seems rhetorical and obvious. And then God throws a curveball:

“Though she may forget…”

In other words…hm, maybe so. A mother might forget. Mothers abandon their children all the time. People in general, not just mothers, let us down. They break our hearts. They turn their backs on us. They make mistakes. So, yes, it’s possible, though unlikely, that a mother might forget her baby.

Then, God says:

“Though she may forget, I will not forget you!
See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;”

He will never forget you. He will never let go of you. He will never leave you.

He has not given up on me. And he will never forget you either, dear child.

He’s always been there, right by your side.

And He has the scars to prove it.