“Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.” (Isaiah 49:13-16)
In the most painful moments, even the Lord’s beloved children, can wonder why God appears apathetic to their distress. “Lord, don’t you care that we perish? How can you be asleep when we are in such danger and feel such terror?” Oh to know God is not distant, aloof, unmindful of us!
Even Zion sometimes gets it wrong. God does care. He never stops caring. He cares more than the most caring mother. He is not unfeeling. He has not removed himself from our pain. No, He has entered in, to a depth we often fail to realize. He took on our flesh. “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows” (Isa. 53:4) He is touched by the feeling of our infirmities because He has been tempted along every line we have. He knows what it is like to be alone and afraid. He knows what it is like to be heartbroken – despised, rejected, abandoned, neglected, betrayed. He has not detached Himself from us. He suffered as us, and He suffers with us.
Our greatest comfort comes in knowing Immanuel – “God is with us.” He is with us in every situation we go through, and especially with us in the deepest waters we face. Never forget child of God, you are not forgotten. His face is not turned away. He has not let you go. He is with you every step of the way. Sing for joy!