13 March 2024

But Zion said, ‘The Lord has forsaken me,
   my Lord has forgotten me.’
Can a woman forget her nursing-child,
   or show no compassion for the child of her womb?
Even these may forget,
   yet I will not forget you.

From Isaiah 49:8-15 NRSV

This prophecy was written towards the end of the exile of the people of Israel in Babylon. The prophet could already see the people making their way back across the desert to Jerusalem. He speaks words of great hope and consolation to a people who had suffered great oppression. Their land will be restored to them and they will never again have any want. However, the people – as represented by the voice of Zion – are not yet ready to believe that they are being rescued and they feel that God has abandoned them. Through the voice of the prophet, God seeks to reassure his people that they are not abandoned. He uses the most tender image of the love of a woman for her baby and promises that he is even less likely to abandon his people than a woman would abandon her child.

• • What does this passage show us about God’s love for his people?
  • Who are the “forsaken” people of our own times and how might they be consoled?

Pray today for all who are exiled from their homes and for those seeking to bring compassion and relief to them.