Recently I re-watched a forty year old movie: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. They were searching for the Ark of the Covenant, constructed during the Exodus and represented God’s presence among His chosen people of Israel.  You probably know the plot of the movie. In the 1930s, Indiana Jones is a globetrotting, swashbuckling archaeologist who gets in and out of dangerous situations as he follows clues to determine the location of the ark. One thing he needs to find is a medallion that has an inscription on it. It is in the possession of an old girlfriend of his, so he goes to get it from her in Nepal. Unfortunately, a Nazi is also looking for the medallion and shows up as well. A fight scene ensues, a fire breaks out and the Nazi spots the medallion that has been heated up by the fire. He reaches to grab it, but hot metal sears his palm, the most sensitive part of the hand. And even though he dropped the medallion and left it behind, the bad guy had a reminder of it, as well as part of the inscription that he needed. He had a permanent reminder of the medallion.

As odd as it may sound, whenever I see this scene in the movie, it reminds me that I am remembered by God. The reason for that connection in my mind is because of what we read in Isaiah 49.

Isaiah 49:13-16  13 Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones. 14 But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.” 15 “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! 16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands…

At times, we may complain with Zion, The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me. We can all feel abandoned and forgotten. But our God responds to that complaint by asking a question:  Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Unfortunately, when we get past all the pious platitudes about the powerful love of motherhood, we must admit the answer is “yes.” A mother can forget her child. We have seen the cruelty that people are able to display in their sinfulness: Women capable of not just forgetting or abandoning their children, but even killing them, before and after birth, without compassion. It may seem unthinkable to us, but it happens. The idea that a mother could forget her own nursing baby is seemingly beyond the realm of possibility, and yet it can and does happen. God’s point here is that as powerful as the bond of motherhood is, mothers, by nature, are prone to sin, and therefore they may forget.

But here is God’s promise to you: Though she may forget, I will not forget you! That is the Good News, God’s promise to you. His love and kindness are eternal. That love has found its expression in Jesus Christ, who entered our world to take our sins and pay their cost. Jesus offered Himself to appease God’s righteous anger, and He satisfied the judgment that stood against us. God did this because He remembered you and He remembers you still.

See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.  God has your image with Him at all times, engraved the palms of His hands. And consider how that engraving took place, what was used to put that reminder on His palms: A hammer and nails engraved you on the palms of Jesus’ hands. This engraving was Painful, yet Jesus was willing to be crucified for our sake. It is also Permanent, it will not go away. You are engraved on the palms of His hands. God Remembers you.