Isaiah 44:21 “Remember these things, Jacob,
    for you, Israel, are my servant.
I have made you, you are my servant;
    Israel, I will not forget you.”

Sometimes we feel like God has forgotten us, but that is a lie of the devil. The problem is entirely that we tend to forget God. English translations generally repeat “you are my servant” here, but the Japanese makes more sense to me. The second time there is emphasis that makes it more personal: “You are my servant.” We aren’t some afterthought, an accident of the process of creation, we are directly and intentionally formed by God for His personal use. There should be great comfort in that awareness. God forgetting us is absolutely out of the question! As the next verse says, He does blot out – forget – our sins, but He never forgets us. It’s not unusual to feel lost in the confusion, with so much going on in the world, and specifically around us. However, God has no trouble keeping it all straight, and He’s not about to forget us. As Peter reminded us, we need to “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) We get worked up about all sorts of things, but God tells us many times in the Bible not to be anxious. As the little chorus says, “God’s got it all in control.” That should go without saying, so the second half of that chorus is also important: “Way down in my spirit, way down in my soul, God’s got it all in control.” We need to remember that God will never forget us, and recognize that He indeed has it all in control.

This is all very personal, as it should be. As the Japanese makes clear, we are personal to God! I get caught up in all sorts of things. Today we will setting up our gallery show, and our thoughts and emotions are very involved. We need to remember that we are in no way forgotten, and trust that God will remind us of all the things we need to remember. This is very personal for us, because in multiple ways we are exposing ourselves to friends and strangers, being vulnerable in ways that aren’t necessarily comfortable. We need to remember that we are held in the hollow of God’s hand, close to His heart, and He will both protect and use us during this time.

Father, thank You for this clear, timely reminder. I do ask for wisdom, guidance, and physical and emotional stamina for today, that things will go smoothly and well, resulting in a show that will draw people to You, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!