十九世紀時，司布真牧師在倫敦牧會多年期間，經常傳講以賽亞書49章16節：「看哪！我將你銘刻在我掌上。」司布真認為這節經文蘊藏豐富的真理，他說：「像這樣的經文應該要傳講好幾百遍！」的確，如此寶貴的真理，我們實在應該時時思想。

上帝曾藉先知以賽亞應許以色列百姓，要將祂的子民銘刻在祂的掌上。數百年後，上帝的兒子耶穌為我們被釘死在十字架上。司布真將這兩者做了非常巧妙的連結，他說：「在耶穌手上的那些傷痕是什麼呢？……雕塑家在進行雕刻時，經常使用鐵鎚敲打鐵釘，正如耶穌必須被釘在十字架上，才能將祂的子民銘刻在祂的手掌上。」上帝應許要將祂的子民銘刻在手掌上，於是讓耶穌在十字架上展開雙臂，承受釘在祂手上的釘子，好讓我們能從罪中得釋放。

每當我們覺得上帝已經忘了我們，只需看看我們的手掌，並思想上帝的應許。在上帝的手掌上，已為你我留下了永不磨滅的印記。祂是多麼愛我們啊！

In Charles Spurgeon’s many years at his London church during the 1800s, he loved to preach on the riches of Isaiah 49:16, which says that God engraves us on the palms of His hands. He said, “Such a text as this is to be preached hundreds of times!” This thought is so precious that we can run over it in our minds again and again.

Spurgeon makes the wonderful connection between this promise of the Lord to His people, the Israelites, and God’s Son, Jesus, on the cross as He died for us. Spurgeon asked, “What are these wounds in Your hands? . . . The engraver’s tool was the nail, backed by the hammer. He must be fastened to the Cross, that His people might be truly engraved on the palms of His hands.” As the Lord promised to engrave His people on His palms, so Jesus stretched out His arms on the cross, receiving the nails in His hands so we could be free of our sins.

If and when we’re tempted to think that God has forgotten us, we only need to look at our palms and remember God’s promise. He has put indelible marks on His hands for us; He loves us that much.