“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. 17 Your sons shall make haste; Your destroyers and those who laid you waste shall go away from you. 18 Lift up your eyes, look around and see; all these gather together and come to you. As I live,” says the Lord, “You shall surely clothe yourselves with them all as an ornament, And bind them on you as a bride does.” Isaiah 49:14-18 NKJV
God of Faithfulness,
Hindsight is something the nation of Israel had. To be able to look back at their history and see the countless times God, You provided. And led them to freedom, protected them, gave them victory over their enemies – when they followed You as their only God. But also the times they suffered, were judged, taken into slavery because they turned away from You to other Gods. But perhaps it did not seem as black and white to them? We cannot judge or make excuses for them only try to learn Lord?
These are well known and favourite verse from Isaiah for today, because we can adopt it to ourselves. When our prayer times seems barren, when we have slipped or tripped or floundered in our faith. When we are frustrated that prayer is not answered – we are not forgotten or ignored -we are engraved on Your hands. It is not always helpful when we just need empathy to understand our pain. We do not always want to be reminded that we grow through tough times. And I know You cannot forget me or anyone – You are omniscient.
But that You will have compassion Oh that is different. Compassion gave Adam and Eve another chance. Compassion gave Noah the Ark, Compassion chose Abraham to make a nation of Your people. . . Compassion embraced the gentiles in sending Jesus. Compassion gives life to those who chose You. Your compassion, Your willingness to suffer with us. That is something I can hold onto, be held by and be grateful for, forever.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Worship Wednesday 26th August 2026
A repeat from this July. I thought about compassion – and mercy.
Compassion is said to be what you feel in your heart, sorrow or deep empathy for someone’s suffering. Mercy is what you choose to do, an outward act of withholding punishment, judgment, or harm when you have the power to inflict it. Surely our God is both.
Praise the Lord, His mercy is more
Stronger than darkness, new every morn
Our sins they are many, His mercy is more
What love could remember no wrongs we have done
Omniscient, all knowing, He counts not their sum
Thrown into a sea without bottom or shore
Our sins they are many, His mercy is more
Chorus
What patience would wait as we constantly roam
What Father, so tender, is calling us home
He welcomes the weakest, the vilest, the poor
Our sins they are many, His mercy is more
Chorus
What riches of kindness He lavished on us
His blood was the payment, His life was the cost
We stood ‘neath a debt we could never afford
Our sins they are many, His mercy is more
Chorus
Songwriters: Matt Boswell, Matt Papa