Don’t forget, God is a mother too

This week, having celebrated Mothers’ Day in the UK, we consider the ways in which God is like a mother to us.

Read Deuteronomy 32:9-18. Our thoughts about God are dominated by him as father. Images of a God who nurtures and cares for us, who holds us, grieves with us, and laughs with us are less common.

Do you remember running into your Mum’s arms when something had scared you? Can you recall the comfort and security you felt when you reached her, and she flung her arms around you to protect you?

Deuteronomy 32:9-18 is part of the great Song of Moses, composed as he was coming to the end of his life and as the children of God prepared to cross into the Promised Land.

In it, Moses paints a picture of a God who mothers us. Moses reminds God’s children that as they journeyed through the barren and dangerous Sinai desert on to the Promised Land, God “found” them and seeing they were vulnerable, surrounded, watched over and guarded them. He calls them the apple of his own eyes.

The theme of God’s mothering love and care for his children continues, as Moses conjures up the image of an eagle spreading her wings and taking hold of the eaglet, carrying them away to safety. When the Israelites reach the Promised Land, it will be God who deserves the credit.

Moses goes on to remind his people that God has fed them in the desert, supplying food spontaneously from the rocks. He supplies food through livestock, from both the animals themselves and what they produce.

Sadly, Moses’ Song ends with him calling God’s children out for forgetting the God who mothers them, exclaiming:

Deuteronomy 32:18 NLT

You neglected the Rock who had fathered you; you forgot the God who had given you birth.

God our Mother gives us many blessings. Many of us can look back to times of material wealth or success. We can remember times when God protected us, when he has kept us safe and supported us. Let’s ensure that whilst we enjoy these blessings, we don’t make light of God. Let’s not become soft and entitled. May God’s blessings draw us closer to him rather than turn us away from him.

Think It Over

Think about the following:

•           What kind of mother is God to you? What kind of child are you?