Isaiah 66:13 - Motherly Comfort

Last week I went with my daughter for my granddaughter's one-year check up... which included vaccinations. I cringed when the nurse came in with not one syringe, not two syringes, not three syringes, but four syringes. She dutifully had four kiddie BandAids to put over the punctures, but I knew the baby would need more than that.

Instead of letting my daughter hold the baby during the shots, the nurse had her lay the baby on the examining table--to be more efficient. Grrrr!

My poor granddaughter sobbed so hard that she only stopped long enough to catch her breath for another wail. But of course mommy scooped her baby into her arms and comforted her in that way that only a mother can do. No one else would suffice, not even grandpa!

Both my daughter and my daughter-in-law (whose son will have his first year check up before too long) are so good at comforting their babies when they cry. What does a mother do? They hold the baby close, they whisper "It's okay... Momma's here." They may give the baby milk. And of course, they rock the baby.

As a child grows and mature, the way a mother comforts will grow and change as well. A teenager won't sit on his mother's lap! But what mother would say, "You've outgrown my love. Don't expect me to 'mother' you any more!" 

The nation of Israel had wandered from God and He allowed painful circumstances to get their attention. In His faithfulness, God said, 

"I will comfort you there in Jerusalem as a mother comforts her child." (Isaiah 66:13, New Living Translation, 2015)

That it is exactly how God comforts us as well. He is called the "God of all comfort" (2 Corinthians 1:3, NASB95). He will do whatever is needed to comfort the hurting, the wounded, the brokenhearted. But with all tenderness, He will do it "as a mother comforts her child."

God of all comfort, When we are inconsolable, we turn to you for comfort like no one else can give. Amen.