Ever Before Me

Lectio Divina Out Loud: Erika Dix pictures what it means to be engraved on God’s hands.

See, upon the palms of my hands I have engraved you; your walls are ever before me. (Isaiah 49:16)

Mountains. So strong and unmoving. When I read this verse, the image that popped into my mind was of mountains—God sized mountains—and those mountains were God’s hands. As I got closer to the cliffs, I saw myself carved into the side of the mountain. Maybe not as majestic as Mount Rushmore, but it was me. The carving was a bit smaller, but still important and noteworthy. As I glanced around, I saw so much of creation on those mountains that were God's hands. God literally had the whole world engraved on the palms of His hands.

Quite an image to behold! But what did it mean to me, as small as I am? When I dug a little further into what was going on in my life, I recognized that what I needed was more stability. This image that popped into my mind suggested that I could find that stability with God. What God told Isaiah to tell His people is that God is here for us, no matter what. God remembers us and sees us on the palms of His hands.

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I was a little confused by the second part of the verse, because when I first read it, I thought that the walls were something I built that put distance between God and I. It did not seem to fit with the first part of being so close to God that we are part of His hands. So I did a little research, and in some Bible interpretations, the walls are the ruined walls of Jerusalem while the Israelites were in exile. God is saying that He is always aware of the challenges and difficulties that are in our lives. Our own “ruined walls” that we face every day, whether from what we have done or has been done to us.

The “Glory Be” prayer really speaks to this remembrance and stability.

Glory be to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning
is now, and ever shall be
world without end. Amen.

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God remembers us and is always aware of what we are going through. He was there for us in the beginning and will be there until the end. God is stable and strong, and we can count on Him. We may be a small part of creation, but we are there, each of us carved on the mountains of God’s hands. The whole world is engraved in the palms of His hands.

Prayer: Holy God, You comforted Your people while they were in exile, and Your words comfort me in my own times of instability. Thank you for always keeping me ever before You.

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