There is a feeling that every person wants to avoid. That is the feeling of being forgotten. A child playing a sport continues to look over at his parents to see if they are watching and if they saw him or her score. A worker wonders if his or her effort went unnoticed by the supervisors. A struggling Christian wonders whether anyone sees the battle he or she is quietly fighting.
One of the most beautiful pictures in the Old Testament is found in the clothing of the high priest. When Aaron entered the Holy Place, he wore a breastplate containing twelve stones, and those stones were engraved with the names of the tribes of Israel. God said, “So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel…over his heart, when he goes into the holy place, as a memorial before the LORD continually” (Exodus 28:29 NKJV).
Think about that. When the high priest went before God, the people were symbolically carried over his heart. Their names were not left outside. They were represented before the Lord.
Yet, as meaningful as that picture was, it was still only a shadow of something greater. Aaron could carry names on stones, but Jesus knows His people personally. Aaron entered an earthly holy place, but Jesus has entered Heaven itself. Aaron eventually died and had to be replaced, but Jesus “continues forever” and has “an unchangeable priesthood” (Hebrews 7:24).
That means the faithful Christian is not forgotten before God, though your name may not be known to the world. Your struggles may not be obvious to others. Your prayers may be spoken in a quiet room where no one else hears. However, Jesus knows His people. He represents them. He intercedes for them. He brings them near to the Father.
So, do not measure God’s concern by how visible you feel to others. If you are in Christ, you are not abandoned, overlooked or spiritually alone. You have a Savior who carries His people before the Father!
