“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!” (Isaiah 49:15).
The most intimate bond in humanity is between a mother and her child. From the time she gives birth, she experiences a unique closeness matched by no other relationship. She will do whatever she must do to protect her baby. Though waking up four times a night to feed her child is exhausting, she will continue to roll out of bed to meet the needs of her little one. We can read heroic stories of mothers who gave their lives to save their children. These testimonies demonstrate the power of love.
Isaiah 49:15 asks a hypothetical question in order to make the point that God will never forget us. “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast?” That would be very unlikely. There were many nights that I fell asleep while my son was breast-feeding, only to wake up with him sleeping on my lap. However, I did not forget him. I did not wake up, jump up from the chair, and drop him on the floor. No. I awoke, cuddled him, kissed him, and placed him back in his crib. When my children were sick, cutting teeth, injured in some way, or hurt by another, I reached out to comfort and help them through their pain.
My children still tease me for being like a mama bear protecting her cubs. When my son was in first grade, a group of boys started bullying him and tore off his hat and destroyed it. Chris came home very upset and not wanting to go to school the next day. Well, his mama bear went with him and met the group of boys in the hallway and put a little fear in their hearts of bullying others (don’t worry, I was not physically or verbally abusive!). Needless to say, my little cub did not experience any more trouble from them. However, as my children got older, mama bear had to learn to back off a bit from using my claws to protect my precious ones and change to using prayer to protect them!
Notice that in Isaiah 49:15 it says: “Though she may forget, I will not forget you!” In other words, at times we fail even the ones we most love. We are not perfect. Due to our fallen nature, our tendency is to think first of ourselves. We get wrapped up in what we are doing and forget to pick up our children at school. We can be hurting so deeply that we do not have the energy to tend to our children’s needs. But our Lord is different than us. HE IS PERFECT! He does not struggle with sin, self-centeredness, or self-protection. He does not become so sad that He can dwell only on His own problems. He never becomes ill. He is incapable of not giving full attention to one child, even though He has so many children in need. No! Though a mother may forget her child, God will never forget you. He is always attentive to your needs. You may feel like you are talking to a brick wall, but this is not true. He is attentive to your cries. “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:17-18). He may not answer in your timing or in your way, but He is answering your prayers in light of what is best for you and others for all eternity. He is not only concerned with “fixing your problem and your pain” for now, He is doing an eternal work in your heart!
As I write about this topic, I think of some of you who have experienced the heart wrenching loss of a child. My heart truly aches for you. Though over time your tears are less frequent, the pain still surfaces and your longing to be with your child returns. Jesus weeps with you. He says that He came to earth to be in a relationship with us and comfort us when we mourn. I am grateful that He has made a way for us to be reunited with our precious loved ones again for all eternity. The Lord’s words are tender to you when you are hurting: “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you” (Isaiah 66:13).
Today’s Bible Reading: Isaiah 49:15; Isaiah 66:12-13; Psalm 34
Excerpt from Mission Impossible by Sue Corl
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