God: Our Father & Our Mother

"...how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing."

Matthew 23:37 (NIV) 
Luke 13:34-35 (NIV)

I have been blessed with a loving, caring, God fearing mother.

She read to me, she sang to me, she did crafts with me, she signed me up and took me to dance classes, choir, summer camp, etc. She taught me about Jesus and led me to Christ when I was a young girl. She is my biggest champion, fairy godmother, teacher, and my friend.

I want to honor my mother in this post, and because I love her so deeply, and now that I am a mother and I love my son so deeply, I recognize this day may be heart wrenching for many. And because my love for Christ is growing more and more each day, I wanted to share this message with you:

The God of the universe, who is ALL powerful, Almighty, and Infinite, LONGS to mother us. He is a mighty warrior, and and at the same time tender and sweet.

The full passage of Matthew 23:37 says this:

37 “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."

When Jesus said this, his talking to the Hippocrates--all of us.

Even though, the people of Jerusalem had turned away from the heart of God, Jesus still longed to mother them, by gathering them like chicks under his wings.
I remember the first time that verse struck me.
I was a freshmen in college and in my journal I wrote: "God wants to love us and comfort us, we just have to let him!" and I drew a silly pictures of a mother hen with her chicks.
I was reminded of this as I have been studying the Psalms over the past month.

The book of Psalms often refers to the refuge of God's wings:

Psalm 17:8

Psalm 36:7

Psalm 57:1

Psalm 61:4

Psalm 63:7

Psalm 91:4 

In the book of Isaiah, God's mothering heart is emphasized more...

“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)

"As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you..."
Isaiah 66:13 (NIV)

Some of you may have experienced the comfort of a loving mother, some of you may have been abandoned, forgotten and hurt by your mother. Some of you may be missing your mother today.

This Mother's Day, I urge you all, earthly mother or not, to take refuge under the wings of our loving God. Remember: though a  mother may abandon her child, and we may forget God, 

He will not forget us! He longs to gather us and comfort us.
Thank you God.

 Happy Mother's Day!