Note: Read the Promises at the end of the devotion - 
Scripture Focus:

“Listen to me, ……I have cared for you since you were born. Yes, I carried you before you were born. I will be your God throughout your lifetime— until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.

To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?

Do not forget this! Keep it in mind! Remember this,………Remember the things I have done in the past.
For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me. Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish. ….. I have said what I would do, and I will do it.”
— Isaiah 46:3–5, 8–11 (NLT)

“I have refined you, but not as silver is refined. Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering. I will rescue you for my sake— yes, for my own sake! I will not let my reputation be tarnished, and I will not share my glory with idols! 

This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow. Oh, that you had listened to my commands! Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river and righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea. Your descendants would have been like the sands along the seashore— too many to count! There would have been no need for your destruction, or for cutting off your family name.”
— Isaiah 48:10–11, 17–19 (NLT)

Observation
Isaiah 46–49 beautifully reminds us who our God is and what He desires from His people. He wanted them to remember who He is—the One who created them (46:3–4), who carries them from birth to old age, and who declares the end from the beginning so that they would know He alone is God and there is none like Him (46:9). He longed for them to listen to His commands, so they could experience peace like a gentle river and righteousness like rolling waves (48:18). But because they were stubborn and refused to listen, He refined them in the furnace of suffering (48:10)—not to destroy them, but for His glory and their good.
Even in discipline, His heart overflowed with promises: “I will carry you along and save you” (46:4). “I will rescue you for my own sake” (48:11). “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good and leads you along the paths you should follow” (48:17). And when His people felt forgotten, He reassured them: “I would never forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands” (49:15–16).
These chapters reveal a God who disciplines because He loves, who rescues for His glory, and who restores because His love for His people is unshakable. Why would we trust anyone or anything else when earthly powers are nothing compared to His glory?


Lesson for Me
God’s heart for His people hasn’t changed—He still desires our listening ears, trusting hearts, and obedient steps. He wants us to remember that He alone is God, that He carries us through every season of life, and that His refining process—even when painful—is for His glory and our ultimate good. The promises He gave to Israel are reminders for us today: we are not forgotten, our names are written on His hands, and He Himself is leading us along the path we should take.


Application Questions
1. Which of God’s promises in these chapters do I need to hold on to most right now?

2. In what areas of my life am I still trusting in “earthly powers” or my own strength instead of God’s?

3. How can I shift from stubbornness or resistance to a posture of listening and obedience today?

4. What does it look like for me to live as if my name is written on His hands
—fully secure, fully known, fully loved?



Prayer 🙏
Lord, thank You for carrying me through every stage of my life—from before I was born and all the way until my hair turns white. Forgive me for the times I have trusted in earthly powers, my own understanding, or the things of this world instead of resting in You. Refine me, Lord, even when it feels like the furnace of affliction, and help me see that it is for Your glory and my good. Teach me to listen to Your commands so I can walk in the peace and righteousness You desire for me. Thank You that my name is written on Your hands and that I am never forgotten. Help me to walk today in full trust, knowing You are leading me on the path I should go. Amen.

Quiet Reflection & Journaling
Sit quietly before the Lord. Reflect on what it means that your name is written on His hands and that He carries you through every season. Ask Him: “Lord, where are You asking me to listen and obey You more fully?” Write down what He speaks to your heart.