Every year, on the Day of Atonement, Israel’s High Priest went into the ‘Holiest of Holies’ where God’s presence was, in order to obtain forgiveness for the people’s sins. He wore different things, each signifying different truths. But of all the garments he put on, the breastplate was the closest one to his heart. If we’re represented by the stones on Jesus’ ‘breastplate’ (take a look at yesterday’s reading if you need a reminder) then we’re worn close to His heart. God loves and values us so much and He wants to be close to us, and for us to be close to Him. In Hebrews 13, God says ‘never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’ (Hebrews 13:5 NIV). And that’s His promise to us. He’ll always be with us. Also, the names of the tribes weren’t just written on the breastplate, they were engraved. ‘There were twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes’ (Exodus 39:14 NIV). When something is written, it can be erased or written over, but not when it’s engraved. God says to us: ‘I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands’ (Isaiah 49:15-16 NIV). However many times we’ve been rejected, forgotten about and overlooked by other people, we can always know that God will not do that to us. He knows us personally, He wants to have a close relationship with us. When we put our in trust Him and make Him Lord of our lives, we can always be sure of His love and acceptance.

What Now?
Find a stone and write your name on it in permanent marker as a reminder that your name is engraved on the palm of God's hand.