The Mother Love of God
Scripture Reading — Isaiah 49:8-16
“As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.”
I visited a couple whose son had just been sentenced to five years in prison. The father was deeply disappointed; his son was a lost cause in his eyes. The mother wept. Her son was a good boy who had made a mistake. She had hope for his future.
There is often a tenderness in a mother’s love that is sometimes missing from a father’s. As Israel was serving hard time in exile, they needed to know that God’s love has a tender side. They thought God had forsaken them. God responded by using the image of a mother nursing her infant. “Though she may forget, I will not forget you!” declared the Lord. It is outrageous to imagine a caring mother forgetting her own newborn child. It is even more unthinkable to imagine God forgetting his own children.
In fact, we are engraved onto God’s hands. We are like an open wound on the hand of God, unforgettable, always before his eyes. Surely this is a picture of what Jesus endured for our sake. After dying on the cross and rising on Easter, Jesus showed his followers the nail holes in his hands as evidence of who he is and of the love he has given (Luke 24:37-39; John 20:26-29). We are engraved as scars on Jesus’ hands. The scars are a reminder of God’s incredible love for us, more tender than even a mother’s love for her nursing baby.
We are comforted by your tender love, Lord, knowing that you will never leave or forsake us. May we celebrate your faithful care and loving nurture today. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
About the author — Rob Jansons
Rob Jansons is the pastor of New Hope Fellowship in Monroe, Washington, where he has served for almost twenty years. He and his wife, Sue, have been married since 1989 and have three daughters. Rob spends time each year in Calcutta, India, working with a Christian ministry to children living in slums. He enjoys hiking in the Pacific Northwest, camping with his family, reading, writing, and being a pastor.
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