“I Will Never Forget You” by Colleen O’Sullivan
But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.” Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you. (Isaiah 49:14-15)
The LORD lifts up all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. (Psalm 145:14)
Jesus answered and said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for what he does, the Son will do also. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes. (John 5:19, 21)
Piety
O Lord, may I never sink into despair but always be aware of your love, mercy, and compassion.
Study
Life is so hard here in Babylon. I long for home. Was our sin so great that we deserved this? It’s bad enough to be sent into exile, but how our captors taunted us, demanding that we sing songs of joy! Not a sound came forth from my lips. I just wanted to give up. How long will this go on? Some of my friends’ children have even married people here and had children of their own. A whole new generation. Will they even care about seeing our homeland again or will their roots be too deeply embedded in this foreign land? Will these children even know the ways of our people? My deepest wish is to go home, to see the land of my birth again before I die. Some days I feel like God has forgotten all about us.
Life is so hard for us these days, the parents of those killed at our high school here in Parkland, Florida. We had such hopes and dreams for our children. With one bullet it was all over for my child. I will never hear her laugh again. I would even give anything to hear her complain, “Oh, Mom…” It used to exasperate me, but it’s amazing how your feelings can change in an instant. I have no choice but to go on for my other children, but I’m not sure how I’m going to do that. A part of me has been ripped away. Your child should never be taken before her life has even really begun. I think God must have forsaken us.
Life is so hard in this country my mom brought me to. She promised we were going to have a better life here. Our lives wouldn’t be in danger, she said. Instead, I am more alone and scared than I’ve ever been in my whole life. The immigration people forced me to go with them. I am in one detention center in the middle of this huge land and my mom is at least 2,000 miles away. I had never heard of Chicago or San Diego until I got here. I miss my mom. I cry myself to sleep every night. Will I ever see her again? Once in a while, they let me talk to her on the phone, but that only makes me feel worse. I want to be with her. I try to remember to say the prayers she taught me, but I don’t think God is listening.
Action
Each of us could tell our own story of a time of discouragement or despair. To all of us in every time and place, God speaks incredible words of love and mercy. God speaks of the bond of love between a mother and her child. God goes on to say that even if a mother should forget, rest assured that the One who fashioned us and named us will never forget us. We are truly God’s beloved sons and daughters.
Our Lenten journey continues. On the Cross and through the Resurrection we will remember once again the greatest manifestation of the love God has for us. As you pray throughout the rest of this season, invite the Lord into any places of forsakenness in your heart. Allow yourself to be held in God’s loving arms.
If time allows, listen to Carey Landry’s musical setting for God’s beautiful words of comfort in Isaiah 49.
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