“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.” Isaiah 49:15
Field Story by Dori McCormick, Nigeria
As a new mom, I feel it would be nearly impossible to forget about my nursing baby. Our maternal instinct is a God-given tendency to protect and care for our children. How could I forget the heart-warming smiles from my baby girl? How could I ignore the unyielding crying I hear if she is uncomfortable or unhappy? I think it is only in a broken, sinful world where compassion or love could be forgotten, especially for a child. Scripture tells us, even if it were possible to forget your baby, the Lord will never forget each of His children.
A few years ago, I met three children who felt forgotten. Their mother remarried, and her new husband did not want the responsibility of caring for another man’s children. They received shelter from their grandfather, but he was unable to truly provide well-rounded care. God, in His infinite goodness, moved to ensure those three children found a home with a loving family. He placed them in a foster family who met their needs and reminded each of them they have a Heavenly Father who will never leave them behind. As they reflect on their lives, they can see God has been there through it all, always faithful, always present.
Praise God His grace and love abounds for each one of us. Whether it is grace for an overly exhausted parent, or love for an orphaned child struggling to feel seen and known, God is faithful to remind the weary heart He goes ahead, behind, and is ever beside.
Have you ever felt forgotten by the Lord? It’s probably a safe guess to say we’ve all been there. When you live in a world where injustice is ever-present, it can be easy to believe our specific needs will slip through the cracks.
Five minutes of watching a news channel can cause lingering questions of being forgotten. Why would God care about the little details of my life with such catastrophes going on in the world. We may find ourselves thinking, “Lord, in a world where mommas lose their babies and people are hungry, surely You don’t have time to focus on the unpaid bill this month, the vacation I’d love to take my family on, that thing I want, but don’t need.”
One of the most beautiful and powerful attributes of our Father is His unparalleled ability to care about everything. The child you’ve yet to conceive, the school of which you’re yearning for acceptance, the husband you’re longing for, the test you want to ace, the relationship you want to reconcile, the child in a developing country you love as your own – He pores over each desperate prayer you whisper.
It can be easy to believe the desires of our hearts come from ourselves, but we can trust that God not only sees what’s in our hearts, but plants it. May we be quick to remind ourselves, when we believe we go unseen, He sees it all. He cares about every detail of even the least of these. He is undeniably for us. Forgetfulness is not in His nature.