OUR DAILY BREAD : NOT ABANDONED

[cimi]

May 21
Tuesday


NOT ABANDONED

READ:
Isaiah 49:13-16
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I will not forget you.
See, I have inscribed
you on the palms of
My hands.
__Isaiah 49:15-16
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Years ago, while my husband and I were visiting the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, we noticed a baby stroller by itself with no one nearby. We assumed that the parents had left it there because it was too bulky and were now carrying their child. But as we approached, we saw a sleeping baby inside. Where was a parent...a sibling... a babysitter? We hung around for quite some time before hailing a museum official. No one had shown up to claim that precious child! The last we saw of him, he was being wheeled away to a safe place.

That experience made me think about what it's like to be abandoned. It's an overwhelming feeling that no one cares anything about you. It's a real and excruciatingly painful feeling. But even though people may abandon us, God's love and presence is assured. The Lord promises that He will never leave us (Deut. 31:8). He will be with us wherever we go, "always, even to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:20).

The Lord will never falter in His commitment to His children. Even if we have been abandoned by others, we can find confidence in His promise that nothing will ever "separate us from [His] love" (Rom. 8:35-39). __Cindy Hess Kasper

``````````````````Father, thank You for Your never-failing presence``````````````````
```````````````````in every aspect of our lives. We count on Your```````````````````
````````````````````promised never to abandon us. Please teach us`````````````````
`````````````````````to rest in that truth. In Jesus' name, amen.```````````````````
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Confidence in God's presence is our comfort.

************************Today's Bible Reading __ Isaiah 49:13-16*****************************

13 Sing, O heavens! Be
joyful, O earth! and
break out in singing,
O mountains! For the LORD
has comforted His people,
and will have mercy on His
afflicted.

14 But Zion said, "The
LORD has forsaken me, and
my Lord has forgotten me."

15 "Can a woman forget
her nursing child, and not
have compassion on the son
of her womb? Surely they
may forget, yet I will not
forget you. 16 see, I have
inscribed you on the palms
of My hands; your walls
are continually before Me."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

When life's experiences are distressing, a feeling of abandonment
may not be far away. In today's reading, we see Israel with
abandonment anxiety: "The LORD has forsaken me, and my LORD has
forgotten me" (v.14). In response, Yahweh uses a tender maternal
metaphor to soothe the despair of His people: "Can a woman
forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her
womb?" (v.15). It is virtually unthinkable for a mother to abandon
her baby. Yet even though this does occasionally take place, God
will never forget His people (v.15). Her God uses living illustrations
to paint pictures of His constant care for those He loves despite
life's ever--changing circumstances.
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