Engraved by Love

"Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me" (Isa. 49:15–16, ESV).

There is a sacred ache in a mother’s heart when she is separated from her nursing child. Her body reminds her of the bond, fullness, discomfort, even pain, when the child is not near. This visceral longing is not just emotional; it is physical response deeply rooted by design. The prophet Isaiah draws upon this maternal image to reveal something astonishing about the heart of God.

Even if a mother could forget her child, a near impossibility, God declares, “I will not forget you.” His love is not only maternal in tenderness, but eternal in faithfulness. And He does not simply remember us; He has engraved us on the palms of His hands.

In the ancient world, tattooing or self-mortification was a mark of devotion, even remembrance. But in Messiah Yeshua, this prophetic metaphor from Isaiah becomes literal. The word translated “engraved” means exactly what it means to us today. The nails that pierced His hands did not just wound, they inscribed. When Thomas doubted, Yeshua/Jesus did not rebuke him with words alone. He lifted His hands and said, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” (Jn. 20:27). The scars were not erased in resurrection; they were glorified by it.

Those hands, once stretched out in agony, are now lifted in blessing, as we see in Luke 24:50, “and lifting up His hands he blessed them.” The same palms that bore the weight of the cross now bear your name. Every time He lifts His hands to intercede, to bless, to welcome, He sees you engraved there. Not penciled. Not tattooed. Engraved.

And just as a mother’s body aches to nourish her child, so too would the Lord feel pain if He were to withhold His care from you, His child. But He cannot. It is not in His nature to forget, to forsake, or to fail (Heb. 13:8). His covenant love is stronger than death, more enduring than the mountains, and more tender than a mother’s most loving embrace.

So when you doubt, like Thomas, look to His hands on the Cross. When you feel forgotten, remember you are engraved. When you wonder if He still cares, know this, He would ache deeply if He did not.

Pray: Yeshua/Jesus, thank You for the grace of Your hands. When I feel forgotten, remind me of Your scars. When I doubt, lift Your hands once more and let me see the love that held You to the cross. May I rest in the assurance that I am never out of Your sight, never beyond Your reach, and never absent from Your heart. For You have engraved me in the palms of Your hands. Amen.

Maranatha. Shalom.

Bp. Justin