Scripture

Isaiah 49:14-16 (NLT)

Yet Jerusalem says, “The LORD has deserted us; the Lord has forgotten us.”

“Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands. Always in my mind is a picture of Jerusalem’s walls in ruins.”

Consider

Loving parents feel their child’s pain. They hurt when their child is disappointed or harmed. They may shed tears along with the son or daughter who grieves for a lost pet or a painful separation. Although such parents long to take away their child’s pain, they know that sometimes all they can do is hold the child in strong, sure arms and whisper how much that child is loved.

Even the most loving parents, however, have human limits on their compassion. It is not always easy empathize with a child who suffers the consequences of his or her own sin. Reckless self-indulgence, cruelty, defiance, and deception can generate painful rifts and brokenness within families, no matter what the age of the child. Parents may find themselves withholding love and empathy from a child who suffers yet refuses to take responsibility for destructive actions or demonstrate true repentance.

Because we project our own humanness onto our image of God, we may believe that our heavenly Father, too, has limits on his compassion and empathy. We may think our suffering is deserved and that our sinful acts have disqualified us from seeking God’s comfort and love. We may refrain from intimate communion with God because we wrongly perceive that God no longer cares.

Isaiah assures us that God’s love is strong and reliable, even when our sin has brought pain and ruin into our lives. God sees the whole of our ruin, knows its source, and still offers us love and forgiveness to help us heal. Neither our names nor our pain can ever be erased from God’s awareness, but both are tenderly held in the loving embrace of our Father’s compassion and concern.

Pray

FATHER, I confess to shame and fear that have kept me from seeking your face and asking your forgiveness. Give me faith to trust that you never let me out of your presence, even when I feel far from you. Help me to love and forgive others who are suffering from the consequences of their own sins when the world would have me condemn and abandon them.

Reflect

Luke 13:34;  2 Corinthians 2:5-8

Ponder

What in your life is a ruin that needs God’s healing compassion?