Have you ever felt like God has forgotten you? Or questioned how He can be real? When things happen that we don’t understand, we can wonder, “God where are you?” We question why and wrestle with the way things are going. The Truth for this month is one that has helped me to stay strong amidst the uncertain and challenging times that have come my way. I can say for certain that this Truth has truly helped me the most. The moment that anchored this Truth in my heart was a pivotal time in my life and set the course for my future and reaffirmed my confidence and trust in the Lord.
Anchor Truth: The Lord Never Forgets You
Isaiah 49:15
“The Lord never forgets you” became an Anchor Truth for me at a very difficult time in my life. Shortly after I had my third child, I experienced a period of postpartum anxiety and depression. My life was out of control with a lot of changes — a move, my husband’s job change, building a house… just to name a few. I didn’t feel like myself and had lost my joy for life. I wondered if I would ever feel normal again. I felt like I was stuck in a dark valley and couldn’t get out. I knew I should be so happy with my two darling daughters and my brand new baby boy but I was overwhelmed! I really began to question my faith and wondered where God was — had He forgotten me?
I really began to question my faith and wondered where God was — had He forgotten me?
Everything up to this point in my life had been pretty smooth but now I was ready to be done with my faith. I felt that I shouldn’t feel this anxious and out of control if God was real. I was beginning to question Him and becoming skeptical. I continued to go to my Bible study even though at this point in my life, I was just going through the motions. However, I am so thankful that I kept with it, even at my lowest point.
Isaiah 49:15 is such an encouraging verse. Pictured here is my daughter, Annika and her daughter, Isla.
One morning at the study, as I and the other women sat around in a circle, I held my son to nurse him. We went around the circle reading a verse from our study, one by one. When it came to my turn, I could not believe the verse I was assigned to read. It was Isaiah 49:15—I had never read it before! The words spoke so clearly to me, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast or the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!”
Here I was, nursing my child and reading this amazing verse for the first time. These words spoke truth to me, intimately and personally and provided a big anchoring moment in my faith. The exclamation point cemented it –He cared for me and His timing for me to be reading that verse was so amazing I knew God had heard me.
There are times in our lives that feel out of control and very stormy. We can feel alone and anxious, and wonder where God is. This Truth is very important: we can be confident that God is working in our lives and has amazing plans for us. We can hold onto to the truth that He will NEVER forget us!
I’ve been thinking about the word forget and it’s meaning. Of course, the opposite of the word forget is to remember. I love the definition of remember: being able to bring to one’s mind an awareness of someone or something that one has seen, known, or experienced in the past. I have found it very helpful to not forget the faithfulness of God in my life but more importantly, to concentrate on remembering the goodness of what He has done. As I ponder the promise that God will never forget me, I am so thankful for His faithfulness and will not forget the truth that comes from His word. I remember how good the Lord was to me on that day so many years ago (twenty-five years to be exact). When I opened my Bible to those perfect words they penetrated my heart and filled me with hope and light. I had been in such a dark place and had almost lost the will to live. I can never say enough how thankful I am.
Karina, Erik, and Annika when they were little
Erik now (25) and his girlfriend Ali
That Truth grounded me and helped me to be able to endure the circumstances that have come my way and will continue to as I press on. This is the promise that I hope you too can anchor in your heart and hold fast to as you face the ebbs and flows of your life. I encourage you to remember God’s faithfulness. His faithfulness is the foundation that will hold your faith forever strong in this stormy, unpredictable world. Let’s encourage and remind one another that the Lord will never forget us!
