THE MOTHER HEART OF GOD

We usually think of God as He and refer to Him as Father. It is often said that a father is a girl’s first love and a boy’s role model, from whom he learns about manhood. Therefore, it is not strange to think of God as a father; a figure who can guide, discipline, and love. 

But the Bible also uses the mother figure in several places to describe God. In Isaiah 66:13 the Lord speaks to His people and says, “As a mother comforts her child; so, will I comfort you”. 

In Mathew 23:37, as Jesus was rebuking Jerusalem, He said, “…how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.” 

In Isaiah 49:15, God assures His people of His everlasting love by asking this rhetorical question: “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!”

I find these descriptions of God so interesting and encouraging. To give us a full picture of His love and the way He looks after each one of us, God adds the image of the mother figure, especially when it comes to describing His comfort, protection, and presence.

Mothers feel their children’s burdens, even if their children don’t talk about them. Each one of us can surely remember a time when a mother (or a mother figure) empathised with what we were going through, and perhaps without even saying a word came to comfort us and assure us that things will be ok.

The Bible also uses the image of a mother who protects, even at her own cost. A hen gathers her chicks to protect them from danger, even if it means exposing herself to that danger. Jesus uses this illustration to describe the sacrificial love of God who wishes to protect His own from the dangers of this world, and even from the danger they bring on themselves. We thank God for godly mothers who are ready to protect and nurture; who provide a shield to cover their children from the troubles and sins of this world. 

When God wanted to assure His people that He will always be there, and will never forget them, He again used the mother figure, suggesting the almost impossible: a mother forgetting her own child. The assurance here is that even “though she may forget”, God will not. 

Today, I encourage every mother to remember how great is her impact, her love, and her responsibility. I also ask you to especially remember the mothers of the Middle East and North Africa, where we serve, in your prayers. These wonderful, heroic women who carry the responsibilities of their families under the huge stresses of discrimination, violence, instability, and poverty. Those with broken hearts, who lost their beloved little ones to wars, persecution, or the dangerous routes of illegal migration. Those who are trying their best despite all their challenges to present love in a world full of hatred and inspire a smile during tears. To those, I pray for a very Happy Mother’s Day, and pray you are always reminded of the love God Has for each of you. He knows what is in your hearts. He knows your challenges and loves you the same way you love your own, and way beyond!