“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!

Isaiah 49:15 (NIV)

When Jesus taught his disciples to pray they start off the prayer with, “Our Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:5 NIV). Whenever we talk about God, we refer to Him as, well, Him. The Church is a bride waiting for the return of the groom (God). We always think about God as our Father because he is. However, we forget that God is the one who gave love, and all of the attributes of feminine love, to women. Specifically in the area of motherhood.

Let’s face it, men don’t love the way that women do. Thank God! Men approach the raising of a child differently than women. There’s something called “maternal instinct” for a reason. Even if a woman hasn’t given birth to her children, she will love them as if she did. This occurred to me when I read Isaiah 49:15, and let me say that this is another reason why I love God and reading His word.

Men and women can both be abusive. I’ve known of both sides that have treated their children terribly. However, often it seems to me that there may be more bad fathers than mothers. I don’t know why and I’m not going to speculate. This is just what experience has shown me. I could be wrong. Therefore, some people may have a harder time relating to God as a father. When we see that God is both mother and father, and we look at the characteristics of each, we will know him better. We see this duality of gender in Deuteronomy 32:18, “You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you birth” (NIV).

When God tells us, “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem” (Isaiah 66:13 NIV) he’s speaking of the comfort that a mother gives. If there wasn’t a difference between the comfort that a mother gives versus that of a father then we’d not have a distinction here. When Jesus cries out, ““Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing,” we are given very specific imagery of a mother hen gathering up her children under the protection of her wings (Matthew 23:37 NIV). Furthermore, there’s something about Jerusalem’s refusal here, with this imagery, that shows the careful attention of the Lord to the people of Jerusalem and the heartache he feels. When a hen gathers her chicks she does so carefully, making sure that each one, of the typical 10-14 they bear, is safe.

As I get to know the Lord, he continues to reveal Himself as greater and greater to me. Now that I know that the Father’s love also has motherly love within it, I hope that I’ll be able to love, as he does, and have a greater appreciation for my mom and all the moms out there.

Do you know God? God knows you and He loves you. He sees you as significant because you are. No one is insignificant to Him. He’s with you today, right now, and He wants you to know Him. Jesus died for your sins and mine so that we could be free of guilt, be freed from death, and live eternally with Him. Eternal salvation is just a prayer away.

Pray this prayer with me to accept the gift of salvation today:

Lord Jesus, forgive me for all my sins. I repent from my ways. Wash me in your blood and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I believe that you died on the cross, were buried, and on the third day, God the Father raised you from the dead. Right now, Lord Jesus, I open the door to my heart, and I receive you into my heart as my Lord and personal Savior. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer then congratulations! You are on the first step of a brand new life. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to my family, the family of God. There are abundant resources available online for new Christians. You can visit here for more information on what to do next. You can also leave me a comment and I’ll do my best to help you on the next step of this incredible journey.

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