Behold, I’ve engraved you on the palms of my hands. Your walls are continually before me.
– Isaiah 49:16
Did you hear that? God telling his people in Isaiah, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands. We prayed a few chapters in Isaiah before this about writing on our hands, “I am the Lord’s.” This is our identity in such a way that we would, every time we just look at our hand, we would remember, “Okay, I’m the Lord. This is who I am before I’m anything else. I belong to God.” Well, here’s God using this imagery to describe the way he relates to his people, and thinks about his people.
Isaiah 49:16 teaches us how God cares for His people.
The Lord has his people engraved on the palm of his hand in such a way that he thinks about us all the time, that he sees us at every moment as his own, as those who belong to him.
Just picture it. To use this imagery, your name is engraved on the palms of God’s hands. Oh, can I just encourage you today, all those who’ve trusted in Jesus by his grace in your life, he loves you so much, so much. He loves you. God sees you. He knows you better than you even know yourself. He has called you by name as we’ve seen over and over again in Isaiah from before the foundation of the world. And he loves you. He cares for you. He’s with you at every moment. He’s for you.
Isaiah 49:16 encourages us to praise God in light of who He is for us.
This is God we’re talking about. Your name is engraved on the palm of God’s hands. That’s the imagery here. So let’s just praise God based on Isaiah 49:16, and pray that we would live in light of this reality today that we would not live defeated lives, that we would not live worried or anxious lives or fearful lives, that we would live with humble confidence and humble joy and humble strength and all that flows from knowing your name is engraved from the palm of God’s hand.
This picture of his love for you today, God, we praise you for your love for us. We praise you, exalt you, worship you as the one true God over all, who loves us individually and collectively as your people, but individually as your sons and daughters who know you and trust you and walk with you. Have our names engraved on the palms of your hands. All glory be to your name for your love for us.
We pray that you would help us to live in light of this, that we wouldn’t be worried about anything, we wouldn’t be anxious about anything based on your promises to us in Matthew 6, Philippians 4, we pray for the peace that passes all understanding to guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus who gave his life for us, so we wouldn’t have to be afraid or worried or anxious.
You care for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. How much more do you care for us? You don’t have them engraved on the palm of your hands in the way we are. God, we praise you for your distinct everlasting personal supernatural love for us. Help us to live in light of your love today in every way. And God we pray, help us to spread your love today.
Prayer for the Jewish People
Help us to be sensitive to opportunities we have filled with your Spirit to share the good news of your love with other people today, that they might experience your love like we experience your love and God knowing that Isaiah 49 is specifically speaking about your people Israel in the Old Testament.
We pray especially for Jewish people, men and women, and children scattered around the world, not just in Israel, but in many other places. We pray that whether in Israel or anywhere else, we pray for Jewish men and women and children to know how much you love them, to send your son, Jesus, the Messiah, to save them from their sin. God, we pray for the spread of your salvation among Jewish women and men and children so that they might know and experience the depth of your love for them in Jesus. In His name, we pray, according to your Word in Isaiah 49:16, which we love. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
