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A Tim Keller Sermon Summary  Isaiah 49:1-13 speaks of many wonderful things coming: salvation to the ends of the Earth, land restored, captives freed, and hunger and thirst eliminated. Even the heavens and Earth will rejoice.
The chapter also talks about how Israel would be brought back. But Zion, representing Israel, with its temple destroyed, still felt forsaken (v14). Don’t we sometimes feel the same when things are not working out? The Bible has amazing promises, but when God doesn’t give us what we pray for, we feel deserted. Our faith withers, particularly if we are facing daunting circumstances. When our temple is destroyed, we feel God forgetting us (v14). Responding to Israel’s despair, God didn’t say, “Just suck it up,” or “Poor child.” Instead, God asked whether a mother would forget her baby at her breast (v15). Tending to Israel’s emotions and intellect, God used the metaphor of a mother and her nursing baby, a relationship they could understand. It is difficult for a mother to forget her nursing baby. Physically, stopping the nursing is painful because Prolactin pushes the milk out. Emotionally, stopping would rob the mother of her delight because bonding with her baby produces oxytocin. Then God added that even mothers might forget, but He wouldn’t (v15, Psalm 27:10). Such affirming words are powerful. However, true love is shown by action. (1 John 3:18). So, God further emphasized His love with the act of engraving Israel on His palms (v16). In Hebrew, “engraved” means using a hammer and chisel. Centuries later, addressing Thomas’ doubt, Christ showed him the wounds in His hands (John 20:27). When children don’t get what they want, they might feel neglected and start to scream. Sometimes, we are similar. We should remind ourselves that we don’t need many things. Our identity is not based in material possession. We may be experiencing lots of suffering now, and God might not answer our prayers with the answer we want. But remember the cross shows that God will never forsake us. On the cross, Christ was forsaken, taking the punishments we deserve. The cross shows God’s unconditional love. We are engraved in His palms! Summarized from a Tim Keller’s sermon, titled, “Can a Mother Forget?” https://gospelinlife.com/downloads/can-a-mother-forget-6041/
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