Engraved on the palms of His hands

One of the books I've been reading this summer is The Life God Blesses by Jim Cymbala (pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle). Though it is a very small, short book; it is packed with wonderful nuggets of truth that speak volumes to my heart.

Many thoughts to share, but for now...chew on this selected (condensed) excerpt:

Throughout history men and women who trusted the Lord have had to learn the importance of "the last half hour"; one of the lessons we learn from Isaiah 49:8
"This is what the LORD says: 'In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you.' "
God affirms the fact that He will answer and will help His people. But notice the time of His help and answers: "In the time of my favor...and in the day of salvation." God has a designated time when His promise will be fulfilled and the prayer will be answered. It is a [time] He knows is best for the help to arrive and the deliverance to be accomplished. His answer is absolutely sure for those who trust Him, but it is not yet.
Herein lies the battle of faith - to hold on and keep believing God despite what our natural senses tell us. Our challenge is to wait in faith.
How many times have we battled this seeming contradiction? We pray with all our hearts and take our stand on His Word. But then...nothing, absolutely nothing seems to change. No miracle comes; no dramatic change occurs in our difficult situation. In fact, sometimes our circumstances seem to worsen!
God knows our tendency to give up during these seeming times of silence from heaven. "But Zion said, 'The LORD has forsaken me, the LORD has forgotten me' " (Isaiah 49:14).
Because the people of God back in Isaiah's day didn't see the fulfillment of the promise, they felt abandoned. "Where is God in all this?" they asked. "How can His promise be true? He must have forgotten or forsaken us..."
God, who is always grieved when His people fail to trust Him, responded immediately: "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! I have engraved you on the palms of My hands; your walls are ever before me." (v. 15-16)
We should shout with joy when we read, "I have engraved you on the palms of My hands."
No matter which difficulties we face or how badly life seems to be going, we must cling to God's unchanging promise "I will not forget you!" We need not be discouraged by what we see or distracted by how we feel emotionally; this truth is forever settled, "I will not forget you!"

More on this to come... :-)