Life is full of peaks and valleys. There are times when God feels as close to us as our breath, then others when God seems distant—or altogether absent. The Bible points us to the powerful truth that no matter how desperate the situation, God has not forgotten us.

God’s Presence

Scripture gives us a long history of God’s presence with creation. In the beginning, God’s Spirit hovered over the waters and his words called everything into being. God walked with the first humans in the garden and spoke to their descendants through words, dreams, and messengers.

During the Israelites’ years of wandering through the wilderness, God guided them with a pillar of fire at night and a cloud of smoke by day. He instructed them to build a portable tent, the Tabernacle, as a place for his presence to dwell with them in their camp. Years later, God’s presence filled the Temple in Jerusalem, giving the people a centralized place of worship. In both of these physical spaces, God’s presence was near but veiled for their protection.

It wasn’t until God took human form in the person of Jesus, his son, that all barriers were removed. God was no longer unapproachable, but fully embodied in a man made of flesh and blood. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection opened the way for an even greater gift—God’s Spirit, living inside us. The Spirit connects us to God, making us living temples of God’s presence.

When you take a step back, it seems that God has always found a way to be present with creation. Whether walking among us, inhabiting a physical space, en-fleshed in human form or living inside us. So how do we explain the times when our worlds are crumbling, and God seems far away?

God’s Absence

The Israelites from Jerusalem asked this question during one of the most painful periods of their history—exile in Babylon. They were taken away from their homes and the land God gave them, to live under foreign rule. But most tragically, they were taken away from the Temple that had housed God’s presence. The exile represented fragmentation in their identity, separation from what was familiar, and dislocation from God’s promise. While some of the people chose to settle down and make a life there, it was still a time of grief. They had lost the land their ancestors worked so hard to claim, the lives they had created, and their freedom. Where was God now?

They cried out, saying, “The Lord has abandoned us! He has forgotten us” (Isaiah 49:14, GNTD).

Have you ever felt abandoned or forgotten by God? Perhaps the feeling was connected to your own period of loss and grief. How did you respond?

The Israelites felt God’s absence, but God offered reassurance that he had not forgotten them.

God’s Reassurance

God replied to their complaint using a very tender image.

“Can a woman forget her own baby and not love the child she bore? Even if a mother should forget her child, I will never forget you. Jerusalem, I can never forget you! I have written your name on the palms of my hands” (Isaiah 49:15-16, GNTD).

No, despite their feelings and their circumstances, Jerusalem was not forgotten, but remembered as intimately as a mother remembers her child. And God’s love went even farther than this metaphor—even if a mother could forget her child, God could not forget Jerusalem. Jerusalem was written on the palms of God’s hands. They were visible and connected to God. They were carried in God’s hands.

Have you ever felt seen by God? Perhaps it was during a time of prayer when you voiced your needs or shared your griefs with God. Maybe it was during a time of silence, simply acknowledging that God was with you.

The Bible’s accounts of God’s presence—from walking in the garden, to filling the Temple with his glory, all the way to sending the Spirit—give us confidence that God has not forgotten us even when it feels like he is absent. It can give us courage to trust his promises. Like Jerusalem, may we hear God’s reassuring words, “I will never forget you.” And in case we didn’t hear it the first time, may we hear it again: “I can never forget you! I have written your name on the palms of my hands.”

Try these practices to know that God is with you:

Look at the palms of your hands

. God has made every crack and line. Reflect on the ways God has formed you and intimately knows you.

Focus on your breath

. Pay attention to the way God is sustaining your life through the very act of breathing.

Be attentive to your relationships. God is made known to us through other people. How can you see God’s image in those you encounter today?