permanent.

During my personal time of worship this past week there was one song that was on repeat. You all know what I am talking about. When you just can’t seem to get a certain song out of your head…. It’s a banger bro.

I was listening to Mosaic MSC’s new album, Human, which is pretty amazing might I add. I recommend everyone to give it a listen. They have one song called, “You Never Fail Me”, and the chorus goes,

“You’ve never failed me all my life

When I’m surrounded, You’re by my side

How wonderful, how beautiful,

How permanent, that you’ve never failed me all my life.”

The word permanent stuck out to me. I don’t think I have actually heard that word being used in a worship song before. So, obviously, the person that I am began to research.

The definition of permanent is:

“lasting or intended to last or remain unchanged indefinitely”

Immediately it reminded me of the verse in Isaiah 49.

Verse 16 (TPT) says,

"Can’t you see?

I have carved your name on the palms of my hands!
    Your walls are always my concern.”

The Living Bible version says, “See, I have tattooed your name upon my palm…”

Carved. Tattooed. That’s permanent. We aren’t much different than the Israelites when it comes to sometimes forgetting about God’s faithfulness. During this time in this verse, Israel is still in captivity to Babylon. They had been held captive for a while and just like us, when things are going terribly wrong in our lives, we wonder if God has forsaken us. We plea like David did in Psalm 42:9, “Why have you forgotten me?”

Isaiah 49:16 is not only one of the most beautiful expressions of God’s everlasting love, but it is also a spiritual truth that can help heal us of what C.H. Spurgeon called “the unbelief which often makes us talk about God forgetting us when He does nothing of the kind. We know not which most wonder at, the faithfulness of God or the unbelief of His people. He keeps His promise a thousand times, and yet the next trial makes us doubt Him. He never fails; He is never a dry well; He is never as a setting sun, a passing meteor, or a melting vapor; and yet we are as continually vexed with anxieties, molested with suspicions, and disturbed with fears, as if our God were the mirage of the desert.”

Yikes. That hit home. I don’t know about you, but that definitely challenged me. Why is it that we choose to forget all that God has done for us once a new trial or situation arises in our life? We are haunted by the very thought of being forgotten by the One who created us; the One who keeps His promises. He is permanent, WE are the ones that choose to erase the memories of His faithfulness.

C.H. Spurgeon once again says it best, “ ‘I have graven thee’ does not say, thy name. Our name is there, but that is not all: I have graven THEE! See the fullness of this! I have graven thy person, thine image, thy case, thy circumstances, thy sins, thy temptations, thy weaknesses, thy wants, thy works; I have graven thee, everything about thee, all that concerns thee; I have put thee altogether there. Wilt thou ever say again that thy God hath forsaken thee when He has graven thee upon His own palms?”

You see, God not only has us in His hands, He has our time, all our circumstances, the day in which we live and all the happenings of our lives. He has them all under control. Nothing has taken Him by surprise. He is the One that not only leads us by His hands, but He keeps us in His hands forever. We are permanent in the hands of God and we are never out of His mind.

I encourage you to remember. Choose to remember God’s faithfulness. Choose to remember how He has never forgotten about you nor left you alone. If you are reading this but still feel forgotten, please know that you aren’t. YOU ARE LOVED! YOU ARE THOUGHT ABOUT! YOU ARE SOUGHT AFTER! God is calling you out by name right now. He has tattooed your name, your weaknesses, your circumstances, your wants, your desires, your entire life and everything about you on the palm of His hands. Not a day goes by where He doesn’t think of you.

I will leave you with a hymn by Bancroft,

“Before the throne of God above,

I have a strong and perfect plea,

a great High Priest whose name is Love,

who ever lives and pleads for me,

My name is graven on His hands,

My name is written on His heart.

I know that while in heaven He stands,

no tongue can bid me thence depart.”

You are permeant in the hands of God just like He is permanent. He is unchanging, never-failing, and relentlessly pursuing you. Will you choose to remember?