Graven on the palms of His hands

There's a scripture in 1 Nephi 21:16 (and Isaiah 49:16) that has always struck me. The idea is very personal to me. The message sticks in my heart.

"Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me."

I am graven on the palms of Christ's hands. He has placed me there. By His agency, His freedom, He decided to yield to the Father's will and be pierced and wounded and scarred so that I might have a hope of eternal life.

He didn't have to do it, but He did. 

I am eternally grateful for this sacrifice. I don't acknowledge and remember it as I should, but I owe my all to Him. Not only has He made salvation possible, ensuring that all who lived on earth will be resurrected in perfect bodies, but He has given us His grace.

The statement "thy walls are continually before me" has been sticking out to me recently. I think of my walls as my weaknesses and my shortcomings. He knows my blocks, He knows how I need to progress. He knows my pains. And with that knowledge, He helps me all the way through my journey.

Brad Wilcox said that grace is “our constant energy source. It is not the light at the end of the tunnel but the light that moves us through the tunnel. Grace is not achieved somewhere down the road. It is received right here and right now. It is not a finishing touch; it is the Finisher’s touch (see Hebrews 12:2).” It is what helps us break down those walls. Or climb over them.

Christ remembers us. We are graven in the palms of His hands. How can He forget us? He who knows us so perfectly also loves us perfectly. No exceptions, no regrets. He loves us. No matter.

How amazing is this: when we are trying to follow Christ, we have the entire Godhead on our side! They are on our team. They are pulling with us. They have literally done everything in their power to help us, and they continue to give us aid as we go. They will never leave us. They will never depart. They will never give up on us. They will never stop loving us. They are perfect and unchanging. I know this is true. So when things don’t go the way I wish, I can remember that God is in control and that He loves me perfectly.

His work and His glory is to bring to pass our salvation and eternal life (Moses 1:39).  So anything that happens in my life is with the intent to get me there. No trial is empty or without cause. President Eyring taught that our trials are perfectly tailored to us and essential to our salvation. God doesn’t give us hardship for no reason. And He won’t leave us on our dark road. Christ has ensured that we will never be alone. As He cried from the cross “my God, my God, why has Thou forsaken me?” He ensured that we would never have to walk our road alone. Elder Holland said that “because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so.”

Turn to Him. Turn to the Man who has you graven on His palms. Whose love is unchanging and perfect, whose love is stronger than even our mothers’. Turn to Him and He will lift you up. I know because I am feeling it. The closer I come to Him, the brighter my life gets. I know He loves us. I know He has felt our every pain – it’s etched on His very skin; in His perfect, loving, and tender heart. We are imprinted on His heart.

You are not forgotten.


You are graven on the palms of His hands.

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