Isaiah 49:16

See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands;

    your walls are continually before me.

O, Lord, You inscribed me on

the palms of Your hands the moment

they nailed You to the tree.

You died for me.

You suffered for me.

You took on my pain.

You took on all of our pain.

You did this because You loved me.

You did this because I am Yours.

I am Your child, and precious and beloved,

and You could not bear to see

the world’s trauma etched on my face.

You could not bear to see the burden

the world gave me, how it weighed heavy

on my back and drove me to my knees.

Your heart hurt, Lord, each time You saw

me trip over the shackles the world gave me,

the shackles of anger, and hate, and apathy.

You saw my tears.

You heard my cries.

You heard my whimpering at night

when the same fears that dogged me

during the day, followed me to my dreams.

And You said, “No more.”

They lifted You on the cross, Lord,

but, in that moment, You lifted me.

That was not defeat inscribed on Your hands;

that was my name and the names of all

my brothers and sisters, both those who

had died and those who had yet to live.

You claimed us that day.

We belong to You and no other.

And so to you, my brothers and sisters,

I say, “STAND UP!  STAND UP!”

You are a child of God!

You are a child of the All-Powerful,

of the Ever-Living, of the Burden-Lifter,

of the Chain-Breaker and Spirit-Restorer,

and you can face any storm.

You can stand firm in the whirlwind.

You can lift your eyes and stare

down the evils of this world.

You can do anything.

God has claimed you as His.

Amen.