A Picture of God

Video: "Stuff Moms Never Say" (Evie previewed that video and said, "She's not a very good mother...")

As a son who has a wonderful mother, I truly do thank God for mothers. I was blessed to grow up in a household with a mom who is a Godly woman. Not all of us had such a blessing.

For most, Mother's Day is a day filled with wonderful memories. For others, Mother's Day is one of those days that can bring about a lot of different emotions. Every one of us here has a mother or had a mother. But there are some who may have wanted to have children but couldn't and must endure yet another Mother's Day celebration. Some of us are still blessed to have our mothers, and others don't have that blessing - and perhaps today, the sadness of that loss returns. So, not everyone looks forward to Mother's Day.

I don't know what emotions this Mother's Day may bring to each of you, but one thing I do know - God thought up the idea of 'mothers' in the first place. And many of the characteristics we see in a Godly Mother reflect God's own character. There's something to be learned by looking at the Biblical comparisons of God's love to that of a mother's love.

There are instances in scripture where God is referred to as a mother eagle, a lioness and as 'a mother hen watching over her chicks'. Of course we're working with metaphors here and none of them can really wholly encapsulate every characteristic of God. In the Bible, God has primarily presented Himself through the imagery of a father - but there are characteristics of God that we tend to associate more in the feminine realm.

I'm not saying we need to 'get in touch' with God's 'feminine side', but rather help us rethink our understanding of how complex and amazing God's character and love for us truly is, in light of Mother's Day. It's that image, the metaphor of a mother that God Himself used that I want to examine today as we honor our mothers. First off, when we read scripture, we see that God desires...

I. An intimate relationship

Now intimacy isn't something we typically associate with masculinity. We associate intimacy with closeness and vulnerability and sharing our deepest feelings, thoughts and dreams - areas in which many guys don't usually excel. Intimacy can be more of a feminine trait as we understand it. But God desires an intimate, close relationship with us.

What's more intimate than growing inside your mother's womb? You can't get much closer than that. And this intimacy may be something difficult to understand if we just look at God as Father. We might miss the complete picture if we don't see this intimacy as compared to...

A. A mother's love

In the Old Testament, where God is frequently seen in light of His wrath and judgment, we also see this aspect of motherly love. In the book of Isaiah - where we just spent some time last week - God spoke through His prophet Isaiah and warned the people that because they had rejected Him and His blessings, they would suffer the consequences and be taken into slavery by their enemies. We saw that picture of 'an angry God'.

But later in the same book, Isaiah wrote about Israel returning from their exile after they had turned back to God. Isaiah compared the city of Zion as being a mother for its returning children. Let's look at it in Isaiah 66:7-8 (NIV)...

Before she goes into labor, she gives birth; before the pains come upon her, she delivers a son. (8) Who has ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children.

He's writing about how quickly God will bless and comfort His children. And then, just a few verses later, we see a change in the metaphor and God likens Himself to Israel's mother in Isaiah 66:13 (NIV)...

As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.

There's a deep affection and tenderness in God that we see revealed here. If we miss this intimacy, we won't get a complete picture of who God really is. Yes, God is all powerful and deserves full respect and reverence and awe, but also - God desires...

B. Deep familiarity

Many times when we first start our relationship with God, it's usually with the desire of obtaining salvation; of avoiding Hell. Our relationship starts with us wanting something from God, needing something from God. And once we accept Jesus, are baptized and forgiven of our sins - do we still seek God like we once did?

King David wrote this in Psalms 131:1-3 (NIV)...

A song of ascents. Of David. My heart is not proud, O LORD, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. (2) But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. (3) O Israel, put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore.

That level of comfort, that deep familiarity is what God desires with us. That's what David is talking about when He says, "I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me." His soul is at rest because of a complete trust, familiarity and comfort with God. He desires to be near God, not for what God can do for Him, but simply because of who God is.

Before a baby is weaned, it desperately seeks out its mother for one very big reason - food! Before a baby really knows who Mommy is, a baby knows that Mommy is the source of food. But once a baby is weaned, the child still desires to be close to Mommy - not necessarily for food, but also for comfort. When a child wakes up in the night crying - none of my kids want me, they want Mommy.

Not only do we see this motherly love and intimacy from God, but we are also given a picture of God as...

C. Profoundly protective

Think of it this way. If your dog bites the neighbor's kid, with whom would you rather discuss the matter - the child's dad or the child's mom? It's been my experience that, yes - dad's care very deeply about their children - but you don't cross a mother when it comes to her young.

The Bible talks of God's love like that of a mother's, but it also reminds us that there is another side of this motherly love. Moses describes God's fierce protection of His people in Deuteronomy 32:10-11 (NIV)...

In a desert land he found him, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye, (11) like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions.

That's definitely a picture of a powerful, motherly love. And Jesus Himself says this in Matthew 23:37 (NIV)...

O 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, but you were not willing.

A mother's love brings with it a strong sense of deep protectiveness of her young.

When I was about 11 or so, I rode my bike to the local grocery store, which was about two blocks away from our home. The bike was a deep metallic purple with a banana seat - it was a sweet ride! When I came out of the store, a group of 5 older teens had surrounded my bike. When I tried to get it back, I ended up on the pavement and they took off with the bike.

When I got home, my mom noticed I was bleeding and didn't have a bike - so I told her what had happened. She rushed down to the store and found the group of teens who had stolen my bike and hurt her boy. She was none too gentle with them and rather vocal in her disapproval of their actions. When the store manager came out and asked her to settle down and not make a scene, he then received an earful as well. Needless to say, I got my bike back.

Do not mess with a mother bear's cubs. That's the kind of fierce protection that God has for those He calls His own. And this lovingly intimate, profoundly protective relationship is one that many people badly need to see...

Video: "Moms: Portraits of God"

What would our world look like if every person had been raised by a Mom who loved them like God loves them?

The role that a Godly mother can play is vitally important. Many of you are here today due in large part to the influence of your mother, or grandmother or a Godly woman who showed you God. Now just being a mother doesn't grant you sainthood. No woman simply by giving birth is somehow transformed into a spiritual giant. But those women in our lives who have answered the call to influence their family for Jesus - those women are to be honored.

One more aspect that we see in God's love that's similar to a mother's love is that it is...

II. Eternally devoted

I, personally, have yet to see a child, who when hurt, crying, bleeding and desperate, was 'too dirty' for his mother to pick up. Mom doesn't say, "I understand you're hurt, but I don't want to get blood on my clothes." When no one else will have you, mom will.

God's love is just like that. You're never 'too much' of a sinner, 'too filthy', 'too young', 'too old', 'too lost' that God will turn you away when you come to Him. When faced with the reality of our sin, our eternal separation from God, our future fate of Hell - by Jesus' actions on the cross - God literally said, 'Over my dead body!' God gave everything to save you! No matter who you are or what you've done...

A. God wants to save you

When we're lost, God will always be there to take us back. There is nothing that you can do that will keep God from loving you with that motherly, fiercely protective love. There are times God will be greatly disappointed with our actions, even angry with our choices - but God will never stop loving us when we give ourselves to Jesus! We see Jesus' words in Luke 15:8-10 (NIV)...

Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? (9) And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' (10) In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

In this story, that lost coin is us and the searching woman represents God. Jesus is telling us that God loves us so deeply that, as long as we're lost...

B. God won't give up

A found the testimony online of a young woman who is now in recovery, writing about her journey and her mother. She wrote, "For so long, I never understood how my mom stuck by my side. After all of the harm I've done, the lies I've told, things I've stolen...how did she still love me?" "My life had spiraled out of control in the darkest ways and I didn't know a way out of it. I was done."

"Even after being so ungrateful for everything my mother had done for me, after not caring about how SHE felt through all of this...she still loved me. She might have been mad, disappointed, angry, hurt...but she loved me nonetheless. She saw how broken I was lying in that hospital bed. She took me into her arms and told me it was going to be okay."

'I didn't realize how much you truly did for me. I didn't understand how blessed I was to have a mom who loved me despite all of the torture I put her through. Thank you for being strong when I wasn't. Thank you for being there when I had no one else. Thank you for loving me when I could not love myself.'

Another woman commented, "I'm thankful that my mom never gave up. I'm thankful that she set the example before me to always push through. If I've learned anything, it's to never give up hope and to put all faith in God." One day I asked her, "How did you do it?" Her answer was profound, yet very simple. "I prayed a lot. I didn't know what else to do. I gave my kids to God and asked Him to do it because I knew I couldn't. I gave it all to Him because I knew I couldn't do it on my own."

I think God created 'moms' so He could hug us through her arms. God reveals His eternal devotion to us once again through His prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 49:15-16 (NIV)...

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! (16) See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.

We've seen the deep love and devotion that a mother can have for her child, but God says that's still nothing compared to how much He loves you! When He says, "I have engraved you on the palms of my hands" - some scholars say that this refers to an ancient custom of making tattoos on one's hand, similar to tying a string on your finger to remember something, but more permanent.

Personally, I think it's a foreshadowing of the marks that Jesus received when, out of love, gave His all on a cross for you and for me.

So What?

I'm pretty sure that our understanding of the depth of God's love for His children is too much for us to truly understand. However, if we don't look at the imagery of a mother's love, I don't think we'd even come close.

My father, whose mother passed away years ago, wears a red rose each Mother's Day as he preaches in memory of his mom. If your mother is no longer here to give a present - how can you honor your mother? - By living a Godly life, serving others, growing in your faith knowing that you are a part of your mother's legacy.

I asked my dad what my mom wanted for Mother's Day - he simply said, "Time with you and the kids, that's what she wants". So today, as soon as we're done here we're loading up the kids and heading to see my Mom. What does God want from you on this "Mother's Day"? Time.

I'm asking you this morning to serve God, not out of some perceived obligation or guilt but simply because He loves you. Take the time this week to just enjoy God's presence. Spend time in His Word; spend time in prayer with Him. And when you pray, don't just pour out your list of requests. Yes, we are told to do that - but also, just spend time enjoying Him for who He is. God has shown His love for you over and over - if Mom deserves a day to honor her, give God the time He deserves!