Divine Security
“Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands” Isaiah 49:16 NASBS
Blessed Christian, faint not at the fiery trials that you endure here upon the earth, but rather use them to fuel your deepest desires to long for heaven. For it is here you will spend an eternity with the great God who has loved you from the foundations of the world. Notice and observe in the text how God expresses His particular notice of you, “Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands.”
This particular notice is an effectual calling that cannot be reversed, for it is secured in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Concerning this death Isaiah prophesied, “He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”
Therefore Christian, having been justified by faith, you now have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also you have obtained your access by faith into this grace in which you stand.
Yes, it is true, you stand in grace and all the hounds of hell cannot pluck you out of the hands of Him, Who quenches the mighty tempest in His hands. So then, beloved of God, boast in the midst of your struggles, “knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within your hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to you.” For the Lord your God is a shield unto you and He will usher you through this violent world, bringing you into His presence as a spotless bride prepared for the wedding feast.
Oh Lord, give us ears to hear and a mind to understand the words You have uttered concerning those you have chosen, “Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands.” So fear not Christian, “He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, who reveals His thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth” has inscribed you on the palms of His hands.
Your name has been written in the Lamb’s book of life and it was sealed by the blood of Jesus Christ. Yes, it is true, the hands that hold the entire world together are the same ones that secured your destiny in heaven when the executioner drove the nails through them, as He gave up His life for yours. So then beloved, rest in this exhortation, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate you from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
For the Lord gives grace and does not He withhold from those who walk uprightly and trust in His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, “Who canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against you, which was hostile to you; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”