You are not forgotten!

Movies and documentaries of the Second World War fascinate me.   The strategies employed and the meticulous planning behind every victory are worth understanding and appreciating.  They are great to read and watch because we know the final outcome.  I read an account of a rescue mission in WWII  history sometime back.  When the US Army was forced to retreat from the Philippines, some of their soldiers became prisoners of the Japanese.  By early 1945, only 513 men were alive at the Cabanatuan prison camp.  In an astonishing feat, 120 US Army soldiers and 200 Filipino guerrillas outflanked 8000 Japanese soldiers to rescue the POWs.  Alvie Robbins was one of the rescuers, and he later described how he found a prisoner muttering in a darkened corner of his barracks, tears coursing down his face.  'I thought we'd been forgotten.' Many had died, and the rest had lost hope completely.  'No, you are not forgotten,' said Robbins.  'You're heroes.  We've come for you.'  It was a miraculous rescue!  What a sad place to be when you think no one is there to care for you!

When life becomes difficult, we often give up hope and start feeling as though God has forgotten and abandoned us.  We may be going through a job loss, the parting of a loved one, or severe sickness.   Jesus is reminding us today that we are not forgotten.   Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us.  What a great assurance it is to know that God is always with us, even when our path is dreary and difficult.  The Lord says in Isaiah 44:21, "…O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me"!  Further, the Lord says in Isaiah 49:15-16, "Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb?  Surely, they may forget, yet I will not forget you.  See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are continually before Me".  The LORD's affection for us, His people, is greater than a woman's devotion to her nursing child!  What a comforting thought.  The God of the Bible cares for us, carries us like a father, carries his son, and covers us to protect us!

My friend, you are not forgotten.  I am not forgotten.  We do not know what the New Year holds, but we know the Lord is watching over us, and He will take care of us.  Trust Him. Our promise is in Isaiah 49:16, “See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me”.

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