When talking about God, we often talk about a Father. And that is how Jesus refers to God when praying, as his Father. But there are also places where God is compared to a mother. In Isaiah there are 2 places where God uses a mother comparison, talking about comforting like a mother comforts, or having compassion like a mother. And later, in both Matthew and Luke, Jesus uses a mother hen gathering her chicks as an analogy for talking about Jerusalem.
I’m not about to try and get into a theological debate God and gender. I’m not sure there’s an answer to that one. But I think it’s important to remember the motherly aspects of God as well as the fatherly ones. It’s been on my heart recently; out of concern for some people I have been praying in Guildford Cathedral and there is a wooden carving of a mother and child.
It’s in the Lady Chapel, and it’s probably meant to be Mary with baby Jesus. The baby figure isn’t just held in her arms, it’s held inside the cloak, right next to her chest. The baby is held secure, hugged close, being given heat and protection by the mother’s arms and cloak. Its a simple carving, no detailed faces, but smooth shapes and curves. It’s beautiful to look at. And as I’ve been looking at it, I’ve had a sense that God is like that mother and we are like the child. And as I’ve been praying for those individuals, I’ve looked up and seen that figure and been reassured.
It was then that those verses in Isaiah came to mind:
Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.
Isaiah 49: 15
Isaiah 66: 13
As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
God has that compassion for all of us. The words are a promise for us all. But in this instance, it’s the visual that helps me more. That image of a child held so close, loved and cherished. Of a mother gazing down, holding the child close. I know that pain, hurt and disappointment still happen. But those loving arms that hold us close, that heart filled with compassion, they are assured. They are promised by God, and God’s promises are sure. So for those people I care about, that I am praying for, I can trust in God’s love and care for them. And for myself when disappointment strikes or pain comes my way, I can rely on those arms to hold me close too.
I love a hug, and so for me that image of being held close by loving arms is a huge comfort. And it gets better knowing that the bible backs that image up.
The Reason for my Hope Blog 