Friday, June 12 — A Mother Who Comforts Her Child
We know the picture instantly: a child crying, a mother gathering them up, the sobbing slowing against her shoulder. God reaches for that exact image to describe how He loves us.
Isaiah 66:9-13 — KJV 9 Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God. 10 Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her: 11 That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. 12 For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees. 13 As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
Isaiah 66:9-13 — WEB 9 Shall I bring to the point of birth, and not cause to be delivered?" says Yahweh. "Shall I who cause to give birth shut the womb?" says your God. 10 "Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her. Rejoice for joy with her, all you who mourn over her; 11 that you may nurse and be satisfied at the comforting breasts; that you may drink deeply, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory." 12 For Yahweh says, "Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream, and you will nurse. You will be carried on her side, and will be dandled on her knees. 13 As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you. You will be comforted in Jerusalem."
The closing chapters of Isaiah were written to a people coming home from exile to a city in ruins. They needed more than logistics; they needed comfort. And so God gives them a promise wrapped in maternal tenderness. He's just asked a question that answers itself: would I bring a baby right up to the moment of birth and then refuse to deliver it? Of course not. God doesn't start what He won't finish.
Then comes the image that lingers. As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you. God — who elsewhere is fortress, king, shepherd — here takes the posture of a mother soothing a frightened child. Carried on the hip. Bounced gently on the knee. The same God whose glory is above the heavens describes Himself bending to wipe a child's tears. There's a peace promised here that flows like a river — steady, abundant, not a trickle you have to fight for.
This is the gentlest stop on our walk toward Sunday, and it belongs in the week of Hannah. Before Hannah ever held Samuel, she carried a grief that wept like an inconsolable child. The God of Isaiah 66 is the One who comforted her — not by scolding her for crying, but by hearing her and answering. The comfort came before the cradle.
Maybe you need that word today. Comfort gets a bad reputation, as if needing it means you're weak. But Scripture says the strongest thing in the universe leans down to comfort the worn-out. You don't have to perform for it. A child being held doesn't earn the embrace; they just stop running long enough to be gathered up. Whatever has you running ragged this Friday — the diagnosis, the bill, the worry that wakes you at 3 a.m. — there's an invitation to stop, lean back, and be comforted by the One whose love feels like a mother's arms. And then, comforted ourselves, we become people who can comfort others.
Thought for the Day: God comforts you the way a mother comforts her child.
Reflection Question: Where do you most need comfort right now — and can you let God simply hold it with you?
Prayer: Lord, You comfort us like a mother gathers up a crying child. We bring You the worries we've been carrying alone all week. Hold them, and hold us. Let Your peace flow over us like a river. And when we're steadied again, send us out to comfort someone else who is weary. Amen.
This week we walk toward Sunday's lesson: Hannah, A Godly Mother.