Healing From Abandonment
Isaiah 49:13–16
**“Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;
break forth, O mountains, into singing!
For the LORD has comforted his people
and will have compassion on his afflicted.
But Zion said, ‘The LORD has forsaken me;
my Lord has forgotten me.’
‘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.’”**
A Love That Never Forgets
In Isaiah 49:13–16, God speaks tenderly to His people, reminding them of His unwavering love. Yet Israel responds with doubt: “The LORD has forsaken me; the Lord has forgotten me.” How often do we echo the same words in our own moments of pain, fear, or uncertainty?
Tim Keller, in his sermon on this passage, offers a beautiful commentary that illuminates the depth of God’s response. God compares His love to that of a nursing mother—a bond so profound, biologically and emotionally, that it’s nearly impossible for a mother to neglect her child. But then God makes an even greater claim: “Even if a mother could forget her child, I will never forget you.”
These aren’t empty words. God doesn’t stop at promises; He proves His love through action. The Hebrew word for engraved here isn’t gentle—it means to carve, to chisel, to hammer something permanently into stone or flesh. God is saying, “Your name is permanently engraved on My hands.”
This isn’t only poetic imagery—it is prophecy. Hundreds of years later, Jesus would stretch out His hands on the cross, allowing nails to pierce them, proving His love with the ultimate act of suffering and sacrifice. He took on pain greater than anything He will ever ask us to endure, so we can know without a shadow of a doubt: He loves us.
The Father’s Heart and the Son’s Sacrifice
This passage also echoes a deeper truth woven throughout Scripture:
The Father planned redemption because He wanted you.
He gave His Son a people—a bride—as a gift of love. And the Son willingly came, joyfully choosing the cross in order to obtain us as His bride and present us to the Father as beloved sons and daughters.
The Father offered the Son a bride—us.
The Son offered the Father a family—children adopted through His blood.
And in the exchange of divine love, we receive a perfect Father—one as nurturing, tender, and compassionate as any mother.
The cross shows the unity of the Father and the Son in their desire to bring us into their family forever. Nothing about your salvation is reluctant.
Nothing is half-hearted.
Nothing is precarious.
You are wanted by the Father.
You are pursued by the Son.
And your name is carved into the very hands that redeemed you.
When You Doubt His Care
When we doubt His compassion in our suffering, Isaiah invites us to look at His hands—scarred for us, engraved with our names. His love is not just spoken; it is proven. A love so deep, so sacrificial, so eternal, that it promises:
“I will never forget you.”
Listen to the sermon, “Can a Mother Forget?”
Click here to listen
If You’re in a Season of Grief, Loss, Trauma, Anxiety, or Depression
Passages like Isaiah 49 aren’t just theological ideas—they speak into the deepest emotional wounds we face. At Renew Christian Counseling in Fort Worth, Texas, I help individuals and families walk through these seasons with a blend of clinical wisdom and Christ-centered comfort.
If you’re navigating:
Grief and loss
Trauma
Anxiety and panic
Depression
Relationship wounds or spiritual discouragement
You don’t have to face it alone.
There is help, and there is hope.
Serving Fort Worth and Surrounding DFW Areas
My counseling practice serves clients throughout:
Fort Worth, Dallas, Arlington, Keller, Southlake, Mansfield, Aledo, Weatherford, Hurst, Euless, Bedford, and the surrounding North Texas region.
People often search online for support without knowing where to begin. By creating resources like this, my goal is to help individuals find the comfort of Scripture and the practical help of counseling when they need it most.