Never Forgotten
OPENING PRAYER:
God, you have never forgotten me, not for a single moment. Let that truth sink deep into my heart. Amen.
"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me." Isaiah 49:15-16, NIV
God's people in exile felt abandoned and cried out, "The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me." God answers with one of the most tender promises in Scripture.
REFLECT:
Renee Dugdug described herself as forgotten. Living on the streets, angry and empty, she cried out, "God, if you exist, there's got to be some reason." God heard her. Through care of people around her, Recovery Hub, a place of welcome, and the grace of Jesus, He broke the chains that bound her. She says she does not even recognize herself in the mirror.
Pastor Rodney reminded us that the forgotten are never forgotten by God, and they should not be forgotten by us. Every one of us has been forgotten in some way, and every one of us has been remembered by God. Before we ever reached for him, Jesus reached for us. He engraved our names on his hands.
That is why we cannot forget them either. As Renee put it, "How much grace that God has given me, it's only fair to give the next person as much grace as I can." Our call to remember the forgotten is simply passing on what we have already received. Jesus is coming back, and our prayer is that he finds us busy with the work closest to his heart.
APPLY:
Reflect on a season when you felt forgotten and how God met you there. Let that memory fuel one concrete act of remembering someone else this week. Prayerfully consider whether God may be inviting your family to open your home, and sign up for the Fostering 101 class to learn more. Find out more in the Pathway App or at pathwaychurch.com/fostercare.
I WILL STATEMENT:
: I will take action to remember the forgotten.
CLOSING PRAYER:
Father, thank you that my name is engraved on your hands. You remembered me when I could not find my way to you. Make me a person who remembers others, and let your grace flow through me to the last, the least, and the lost. In Jesus' name, Amen.
PRAYER REQUEST:
Share your prayer request and pray for others.