PONDERING... Are You In Good Hands? (Isaiah 66:12-13, Mother's Day 2017)

Are You In Good Hands?

Mother’s Day 2017

GIST: A mother’s comfort matters, so it must be driven by the truth.

SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 66: 12-13 (But you should really read the whole chapter…)

12 For thus says the Lord:

“Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river,

and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream;

and you shall nurse, you shall be carried upon her hip,

and bounced upon her knees.

13 As one whom his mother comforts,

so I will comfort you;

you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.

When I was asked to preach today, I struggled with what exactly to say. It’s mother’s day. That’s a big deal, and I didn’t want to mess it up :D.

There were several passages that came to mind, but as I prayed about it, this one just kept coming to the forefront. It’s a beautiful passage, and a message we all need to hear--and I think it shows us something pretty awesome about the nature of mothers.

We have this text bookended with hard truths about God’s expectations for His people and the punishment for sin. Then, sprinkled here in the middle is this passage reminding us of God’s plan for His people. Right before the verses I just read we get some imagery which might appear a bit strange at points because we seem to have babies coming to full term and being born in a day’s time without any labor pains and things like that, but what’s being said in this picture is really beautiful. After talking about the need for God’s people to live like...God’s people, but explaining that this will result in persecution by those who do not serve the Lord, He promises not to neglect His people, but bring to pass His will amongst them. He will comfort them. And the imagery He chooses to use to illustrate this point is that of a mother caring for her kids.

There is a lot we could take away from this passage, but I want to focus in on two points and then we’ll wrap up with a few takeaways for application.

1. A MOTHER’S COMFORT MATTERS

It is no coincidence that the parental image here is a mother and not a father. And that’s no disrespect to fathers. I’m a pretty big fan of the whole fatherhood thing myself :D. Yet, God has hardwired this desire to comfort into the hearts of mothers, and that impact lasts. For the past 10+ years of my life, I have spent nearly every day working with kids of various ages, and I can assure you, a mom’s comfort, or lack thereof, matters deeply.

Let’s look at the imagery here in verses 12 and 13. This is the classic mother’s day image.

and you shall nurse,

Mom’s give life...literally, and provide for their children. Maybe other households are different, but in my personal experience as a child and a father to children, I have witnessed this. Kids know who to go to for food. Jedidiah doesn’t come to me and ask if he can have some of my chicken, but he goes to his mom. She can’t help it. If her child wants food (and hasn’t already eaten like half a pizza or something), she’d rather be hungry herself than not give it to him. It’s her heart. (And let’s remember, you don’t have to be a biological mother for this to apply to you.) Mother’s meet their children’s needs.

you shall be carried upon her hip,

In the context here, this is so important. Our kids, especially our daughters, like to be carried. But...they can walk. So why do we pick them up? Because sometimes a kid needs held. Sometimes they just need to be wrapped up in our arms and reminded that their is someone who cares enough to balance an assortment of bags and cups and still manage to take them where they need to be. And yes… sometimes a kid needs to walk :D. But that’s another sermon for another day.

and bounced upon her knees.

We have to remember we’re talking about comfort here, so this isn’t as much a picture of playing with our children, as soothing a crying child. When I was reading this, I thought about my mother-in-law’s mom, Opal House. I never had the privilege of meeting her, but whenever our babies would fuss, my mother-in-law would always talk about how Opal had magic knees, and could take any baby, no matter how cantankerous, and bounce that child on her knees, and the baby would immediately burp...and then sleep. This is an image of soothing.

As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you;

Now, this is key. How does a mother comfort? Well, you have these pictures above, but I’d add this: eagerly. Let me just illustrate it this way. We have three kids. You would only have to have met one of them to understand that there is a lot of falling that happens in our house. You take all three of them together, and sometimes it’s like raising dominos. And, for whatever reason, it seems that I’m often around when these falls happen. Which is making me think I might be part of the problem :). Nonetheless, when those tears start and that cry comes out--you know the one I’m talking about, the hurt cry, that involuntary, breath-gasping howl---when that happens, I immediately scoop them up and start comforting...and checking for serious injuries. But, I won’t have them for long. That cry is like a homing beacon for Melissa. She’s there in an instant, no matter where she was or what she was doing, and the first words that will come from her mouth as she runs up will be: Are they ok? However, before I’m even done answering, she’ll follow up with: Give them to me. I’m a stubborn daddy. I love comforting my kiddos, too. But it doesn’t matter, because as soon as that child sees her swooping in, they’re reaching for her anyway. There’s no hesitation. Moms don’t have some sort of internal debate over whether or not their child should be comforted. They want to comfort, so they do.

And let me pause for just a second and say this less we miss the magnitude of this picture-- God is telling us this is what He does for His people.  He provides for them, carries them, soothes them--and He does it eagerly.

I know we’ve been focusing on the more physical comforts a mom provides, and that’s because those are the easier ones to see. But these physical comforts can really only last for so long. Jedidiah is almost too big now for Melissa to pick up, and I’m pretty certain Judy wouldn’t want Tom or Jeff to crawl up on her lap anymore--especially not together. Yet, a mother’s comfort, if it’s real, goes well beyond the “tiny years”.

Look at how God comforts in this passage. I know we didn’t read all of chapter 66, but you should take the time to do so (click here for the whole chapter). He opens the chapter by reminding us who He is--Almighty God. Then, He tells us that His people approach Him as such, they come to Him humble and contrite and honoring His Word. Then, He talks about the opposite--people who go through all the religious motions, but don’t love Him. His words of condemnation here are pretty strong. Then, he takes both groups and puts them together and says, those who serve Him will be ridiculed and persecuted by those who don’t, BUT--and then we have the passage we read this morning--He will work amongst His people and bring life, and joy, and fruit. And He will be their comfort in the midst of trials. There’s no sugar coating here. The expectations are very clear. He comforts with the Truth.

2. SO IT MUST BE DRIVEN BY THE TRUTH

A mother’s comfort matters, so it must be driven by the truth, as well.

20 My son, keep your father's commandment, and forsake not your mother's teaching. 21 Bind them on your heart always; tie them around your neck. 22 When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you. Proverbs 6:20-22

Oh, we could camp out here forever! But I won’t do that to you. Let’s just lay it out. What you teach your children will stick with them forever. It will be in their hearts, and on their minds. It will impact their decisions for a lifetime, no matter how hard they try to shake it, or run from it. It’s there. And this isn’t just the words you speak to them, though those are immensely important. Kids are sponges. The way you live your life is absorbed. So, what are you teaching?

1 The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down. Proverbs 14:1

If your life isn’t modeled after the word, they won’t have anything to emulate. Which means, if you don’t know the Word, if you’re not taking time to daily feed on the Truth, if you’re not experiencing this comfort of knowing Jesus intimately, it will be a foreign concept to them, too.

Mom’s are great at comforting. God made you that way. That’s why he used this illustration to explain His heart. In fact, it’s because you’re made in His image that you’re hardwired this way. Make sure you’re giving them the comfort that will last forever. Point them to Jesus.

A FEW FINAL TAKEAWAYS

I just want to leave everyone with a few takeaways. Mother or not, there is something here for all of us this morning.

1. Thank God for Godly moms, and pray for them. For those who faithfully model this example, thank you. For every mother here, no matter the age or nature of those children, we need to pray for God’s grace and guidance. This is no easy task.
2. You need comfort...which God provides... through the Truth. Remember, God was using this picture of a mother’s comfort to remind us of His. He is eager to give life, to feed us, to wrap us up in His arms, to carry us where we need to be, and to soothe our many heartaches and wounds. Everyone has their burdens and pains. Don’t neglect His word. Don’t neglect fellowshipping with His people. I know I quote this verse every week, but: “33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” -John 16:33 We. Need. Him.
3. The world around you needs comfort too. How are you comforting? Mom or not. Male or female. There are people in your life who need the comfort of God--and they don’t have to be children. If they’re breathing, they have pain in their life. If they don’t know Jesus as their Savior, they’re facing the world without hope. If you know the Truth, and you know it’s comfort, share it.

Again, moms, thank you.

Ponder, pray, and promulgate.