Isaiah 49:15-16
Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion
on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually
before me.
While reading these two verses, one can't help but be impressed with the
images God uses to illustrate the depth of His love. As mothers, we ought
to be highly challenged to compare our mother love to that of the Lord's
care and concern for His children. Can we who carried a tiny life within
our womb actually forget that precious child we bore? The Bible says yes!
Mothers are capable of forgetting...
"Her sucking child" is an image scripture uses that forces us to see our
children in the proper light. A sucking child draws nourishment from its
mother. To suck is to absorb; to drink in; to receive and retain. When
is the last time, dear mother, that you sat down and thought about what
your child was absorbing while dwelling by your side? What are your little
ones drinking in; receiving and retaining from their beloved mother they
are so dependent upon? Have you been carelessly inattentive to the priority
of their heart's nourishment? Could it be as you carry out your daily
duties that you have lost sight of your children somehow? Allow me to
share with you several ways mothers are guilty of forgetting their children,
which I have not only observed, but also even been guilty of myself…
1) Not diligently praying for them with true awareness of their spiritual
condition
2) Not fearfully tending to our own Christian example before them
3) Not faithfully teaching them God's Word {Deut.11:19}
4) Not making consistent church attendance a top priority
5) Not disciplining them whenever necessary
6) Not soberly heeding their influences {friends, TV, computer, books,
music}
Perhaps you have forgotten your children in some of these same ways. In
reflecting upon the above list, has your compassion waned toward the son
or daughter of your womb, dear mother? Having compassion is to have a
tender heart; to be easily moved by the distresses, sufferings, wants
and infirmities of another. It is love mixed with sorrow; love attending
needs. How involved are you really in the life of your children? Should
the nourishment that goes into our children's lives become less of a priority
simply because they travel from womb to world?? In either location, they
are still a sucking child, still weak and growing and still absorbing
from their mother. Yes, mothers have forgotten their children in many
different ways, yet God will never forget us!
Psalm 27:10
When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.
Hebrews 13:5b
…for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
The Lord tells us in our main text today that He has graven each of us
upon the palm of His hands. What a precious image of love this affords
us! Ladies, as God's children, we are safe and secure, lovingly embedded
deep into the inner part of God's hands... He watches over us with the
deepest concern! Yet, what security, if any, do we provide our own children
with?? Are they so imprinted in our hearts and minds that we might not
overlook any area of their feeble lives? Mother, our heavenly Father would
mark us with the same character traits of His Divine nature - that of
consistent parental love and ever mindful care. A forgetful mother should
use helps to strengthen her memory, amen? Namely, the best help of all
being the Word of God...
Psalm 113:9
He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of
children. Praise ye the Lord.
Ladies, the power of God is unlimited. Only He can take a barren woman,
a woman hollow of concern for children, and fill her heart to the top
with Divine mother love! Do you need help today in becoming less of a
barren, forgetful mother and more of one who is pregnant with concern
for her children's welfare? Are you grieved over the lack of time you
have devoted to praying for each of your children? Have you been unconcerned
or indifferent about your testimony as a Christian before your little
ones? Have you slacked off in tending closely to the various influences
that come into their life? Have you dropped the ball when it comes to
consistent church attendance? In the daily rush, have you forgotten more
than once or twice to share the Word of God with them? Have you neglected
to apply discipline as it becomes necessary, thereby forgetting to tend
to their character?
Deut. 4:9
Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget
the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart
all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons;
Mother, let the Word of God bring these priorities to your remembrance
again! Daily, we must allow the scriptures to impress or apply pressure
to our hearts and minds and affix deep and lasting concern for our children's
souls upon us. Are you yielding to the mark of God as a parent, or resisting
the indentations of godliness? Do you bear the imprint of God in your
mothering techniques?
John 19:25
Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother...
At the lowest moment in the Savior's life, when He bore the sins of the
world and freely gave up His life, there was Jesus earthly mother, standing
by the cross. Mary was not off "doing her own thing". From babyhood to
grave, she had not forgotten to show compassion on the son of her womb.
What an encouragement it must have been for Jesus to have her nearby!
Yes, mother was there; silent, yet fully aware of what her child was facing;
there to nourish his suffering soul and body with her godly presence,
her prayers, and her faith in the Lord - the One who also remembered us
in our low estate. Ladies, a mother's love stands next to the love of
God... Have you forgotten where your place is?
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2001 Pamela A. Iannello
