Sunday, October 7, 2018

The God Who Remembers

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.”

Isaiah 49:14–16

In the late 1800s a British doctor named A. T. Schofield was called to see an elderly lady in London. Maria Vincent lived alone, and had no one to help care for her. Her feeble body was wrapped in a single blanket, and she had no wood or coal for her fireplace to warm her tiny room for the coming winter. Dr. Schofield asked if she had any friends at all who could help. Maria said the only friend she could think of would probably not remember her—it was Queen Victoria.

Dr. Schofield heard the story of how before Victoria became Queen of England one of her staff had fallen ill and Maria had cared for him until he died. Schofield wondered if the story could be true, so he wrote a letter to Victoria, detailing Maria’s account and her current situation. In a few days, he received a reply from the queen along with a generous gift. When he took it to Maria Vincent she cried, “Oh, she has not forgotten me!”

There may be times when it feels like no one knows or cares about our troubles. Though it is rare, there may even be times when no one does. There will never be a time when God forgets or does not care. He allows hardship, difficulty, and trials in our lives, but that is part of His plan, not evidence of His lack of love. We need never fear that He will not faithfully answer those who cry out to Him in faith for help and comfort.

Today’s Growth Principle: 

We can rest with complete confidence in God’s unfailing love and care for us.