Our Motherly Father

Joseph Prince made an interesting observation when he asked the question - "We know Him as Heavenly Father. But are we familiar with His Motherly or maternal ways.

God is both father and mother to us. 

It's a given that children relate to fathers differently than to mothers. Children looks to their mothers for affection and their tender touch. Whereas, they views fathers as defender, builder, hunter,and protecter. 

 

God's paternal qualities show Him as strong and powerful. He is revealed as shield and protecter of His children. 

 

His motherly qualities, on the  other hand, show His tenderness, love and compassion. He's a God who cares for and provides for His children, showering them with blessing. 

 How we view God determines greatly how we approach Him. 

 The word of God tells us "to draw near to him and he will draw near to us..." The maternal nature of God makes Him very approachable.

 

The maternal / motherly qualities of God seen in the beautiful story of baby Moses. 

 Exodus 2:1-10 

"Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months."

It says "the mother looked at the child". It wasn't just a mere look or a natural motherly look. It was an intent look one with with inspect. She looked with eyes of revelation and saw that this child was special and ordained of God. "he was a fine child" 

This is how God looks upon His children. You are not just any child...you are sons and daughter of God. You're not viewed a burden to Him but you're looked upon as one ordain of God, chosen and elected. 

Who gives a child his identity? It the mother. It's the mother who influences the father in how he see his new born son. It's the mother who points out the unique qualities of the child.

It says, "when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months"...she moves quickly and discreetly to provide protection from the threat of Pharoah's intent to kill him. 

When she could no longer hide him any more she builds him a basket of bulrushes and then places her baby in it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. She takes every necessary precaution to preserve her son's life. 

 His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. 

Look at God's wonderful provision in this story. Look at how God provides for His children and how He looks after you. 

 

Let's keep reading this beautiful story of our God's gracious provision. 

Read verses 5- 8.

Pharaoh's daughter recognized baby Moses aas one of the "Hebrew babies." How did she know that? The baby was circumsized. He is marked as one of God's little children.  

Miriam is then instruct by Pharoah's daughter to return home to get a Hebrew woman to nurse the child. And so she returned with a Hebrew woman who happens to be the mother of the baby. 

 Now get a hold of this: Pharoah's daughter said to her, "Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you." 

The mother of this child is now paid from the treasury of Egypt for nursing her own son.

Now. tell me if our God is not a good God...a loving and compassionate God! This baby is now a prince of Egypt..raised with godly values in the palace of Egypt.

What can this mean for us, in such troubling times, when the media snarl and hiss with deadly poison of threats of an  imploding economy, rumblings of a potential wide spread war in the Middle East, at a time when there are Islamic terrorist cells embedded in more than 60 countries around the world, We can know in a deep sense, that we are cared for by our Heavenly Father. 

Psalm 91: 4-7

"He will cover you with his feathers and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You wil not fear the terror of night, nor the arror that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you say, "The Lord is my refuge," and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent, For he will command hs angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands..." 

That God's promise! He's our defender and protector!

 

And He is El-Saddai! He is our Provider! 

The 14th Century English Christian mystic, Dames Julian of Norwich, wrote down her powerful vision of Christ. In her revelations she penned these word:

 "And so I saw that God rejoices that he is our Father, and that God rejoices that He is our Mother...as truly as God is our Father, so truly He is God our Mother. What do you wish to know your Lord's meaning in this way? Know it well, Love was His meaning..."

The maternal love and care of our Father comes through in Isaiah 66: 10-13 

"Rejoice with Jersulem and be glad for her, all who mourn over her, For you will nurse and be satisfied at her comforting breasts; you will drink deeply and delight in her overflowing abundance. For this is what the LORD say: 'I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees. As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you; and you will comfort over Jersulem. (10-13)

Isn't this our need, to be comforted in a troubling world? We need this kind of mothering! "As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you, thus says The Lord."