Isaiah the prophet said that God said concerning his people, “As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice; your bodies shall flourish like the grass; and it shall be known that the hand of the LORD is with his servants, and his indignation is against his enemies” (Isaiah 66:13-14). God uses feminine imagery to describe his relationship with his faithful worshipers. Although the passage refers initially to a setting different than our own, we can infer two principles from it. God cares for his people as a good mother cares for her children and he will protect his people.
On this Mother’s Day, those of us who were blessed with good mothers thank God for the way that these women incarnated his love for us, giving us a visual image that helps us to understand the imagery of Isaiah 66. My mother still lives; I visited her this past week. I remember a Bible class when I was about four years old in which I and my younger brother were her students. She coached me for hour s before my first sermon and applauded my victories in academics. She and Dad worked as a team to teach me to love God and others.
O God who loves us as a mother loves her children, Thank you for your love and for providing mothers who care for children. We thank you for their example and their patience. They have shown us your love for us. We pray for children who do not know such love or who have been separated from their mothers and fathers. Keep them safe; provide for them a way in which they may learn to love as you love and how also to forgive. Thank for mothers who love as you do. In Jesus name, Amen.
