No-one cares, I hear you say

I have graven you upon the palms of my hands

You are the apple of my eye

You are worth more than many sparrows

The very hairs on your head are all numbered

You are my child

I’m such a sinner, I hear you say

But I say, as far as the east is from the west,

So far have I removed your transgressions from you.

Your sins may have been like scarlet,

Yet to me you are whiter than snow

I have redeemed you, I have called you by name

You are my child

I am weak, I hear you say

But I give grace to the humble, power to the faint

I am your strength, which is made perfect in weakness

I shall make you mount up with wings as eagles

You are my child

I am fearful, I hear you say

Be strong and of good courage, do not be afraid

The righteous are as bold as a lion

I have given you my spirit of power, love and sound mind

Put your trust in me – I am on your side

What can man do to you?

You are my child

I am a no-body, Lord, I hear you say

I give grace to the humble but oppose the proud

In my kingdom, the first are the last and the last are first

You are my servant

Even a cup of cold water that you give to another I will reward

I take the despised and rejected things and use them for my glory

You are my child

I am discouraged, I hear you say

Do not be downhearted

I raise the poor out of the dust and lift the needy out of the dunghill

Hope in me – I am your help and salvation

No good thing do I withhold from those whose walk is blameless

You are my child

I am alone, I hear you say

Lo, I am with you always

I will never leave you nor forsake you

You are my treasured possession

Even though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death

I am with you

You are my child

Others have forgotten me, I am forsaken, I hear you say

Can a woman forget her sucking child

That she should not have compassion on the son of her womb

They may forget, yet will I not forget you

I will comfort you and remember you

I will make your wilderness like Eden and your desert like a garden

I will restore to you joy and gladness

Your waste places I will make fruitful

You are my child

Who are you? I hear you say

I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and End

The Great “I AM”, the still small voice

The Prince of Peace, your Saviour and Friend

All of creation declares my glory

I am your FATHER

And

You are my child

Poem by V. Young

Photo by Clifton Franks