Friday, October 23 — You Have Not Been Forgotten
Some of us carry an old fear that we've wandered too far or failed too often for God to still be thinking about us. Today God answers that fear by name.
Isaiah 44:21-28 — KJV
21 Remember these, O Jacob and Israel; for thou art my servant: I have formed thee; thou art my servant: O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me. 22 I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee. 23 Sing, O ye heavens; for the LORD hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel. 24 Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself; 25 That frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad; that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish; 26 That confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers; that saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof: 27 That saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers: 28 That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.
Isaiah 44:21-28 — WEB
21 Remember these things, Jacob and Israel; for you are my servant. I have formed you. You are my servant. Israel, you will not be forgotten by me. 22 I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, your transgressions, and, as a cloud, your sins. Return to me, for I have redeemed you. 23 Sing, you heavens, for Yahweh has done it! Shout, you lower parts of the earth! Break out into singing, you mountains, O forest, all of your trees, for Yahweh has redeemed Jacob, and will glorify himself in Israel. 24 Yahweh, your Redeemer, and he who formed you from the womb says: “I am Yahweh, who makes all things; who alone stretches out the heavens; who spreads out the earth by myself; 25 who frustrates the signs of the liars, and makes diviners mad; who turns wise men backward, and makes their knowledge foolish; 26 who confirms the word of his servant, and performs the counsel of his messengers; who says of Jerusalem, ‘She will be inhabited;’ and of the cities of Judah, ‘They will be built,’ and ‘I will raise up its waste places;’ 27 who says to the deep, ‘Be dry,’ and ‘I will dry up your rivers;’ 28 Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure,’ even saying of Jerusalem, ‘She will be built;’ and of the temple, ‘Your foundation will be laid.’ ”
Explanation
Yesterday Isaiah held up the carpenter and his homemade god and let us see how foolish it was. Today the tone changes completely. The prophet who was mocking idols turns and speaks tenderly to the people who were tempted by them. "Remember these things." Remember the difference between a god you make and the God who made you.
Look at the contrast. The idol was formed by a man's hands. Israel was formed by God: "I have formed you." The idol needed someone to carry it. God says He carries His people. And then comes one of the most comforting lines in all of scripture: "Israel, you will not be forgotten by me."
That's where this Sunday's lesson title comes from in spirit: God's Works Are Not Forgotten. People forget. Whole generations forget. Judges will tell us that a generation grew up that didn't know the LORD or the work He had done for Israel. But God does not forget His people, and He does not forget what He has promised.
Verse 22 might be the most beautiful picture in the chapter. God has blotted out their sins like a thick cloud. If you've ever driven a rural road early in the morning, you know what fog looks like at sunrise. It feels permanent, heavy, impossible to see through. Then the sun gets a little higher, and in a few minutes it's simply gone. That's what God says He has done with sin. Notice the order again, like Monday: "I have redeemed you" comes first, and "return to me" comes because of it. God doesn't say, "Come back and then I'll forgive you." He says, "I've already dealt with it. Come home."
The rest of the passage shows that this God actually runs history. He makes fools of fortune-tellers, confirms the words of His prophets, and promises that ruined Jerusalem will be lived in again. Then He names a foreign king, Cyrus of Persia, more than a century and a half before Cyrus would let the exiles go home. God can use even an unlikely leader to accomplish His purposes. That's worth remembering in a unit called "Lacking Leadership and a Moral Compass." When human leadership fails, God's leadership doesn't.
Maybe you've been away for a while. Maybe you stopped praying after the diagnosis, or after the divorce, or after a disappointment no one at church knows about. Maybe you've just drifted, one busy Sunday at a time. Hear this: you have not been forgotten. The cloud can lift. The waste places can be rebuilt. The door is open, and the invitation is the same one God gave Israel: return to Me.
Thought for the Day
God hasn't forgotten you. The door home is still open.
Reflection Question
Is there an area of your life where you've drifted from God, and what would one honest step back look like this weekend?
Prayer
Lord, You formed us, and You have not forgotten us. Thank You for blotting out our sins like a morning fog burned away by the sun. Where we've drifted, call us home. Give us the courage to return to You, not because we've earned it, but because You've already redeemed us.
This week we walk toward Sunday's lesson: God's Works Are Not Forgotten.