PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Matthew 23:37-39
What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?
“How often I have longed to gather your children together…” (Matthew 23:37)
This is not a picture of an angry God brimming with wrath, demanding appeasement.
Instead Jesus describes the maternal longing to hold and protect its young.
As a parent, I can relate to this longing, the deep love for your children’s wellbeing.
Jesus reinforces this image of God with his use of Abba Father, a term of intimacy.
“…and you were not willing.” (Matthew 23:37)
When you add these words, this parental longing, love and pain is magnified.
As a parent and a child, I can relate to this stubborn unwillingness.
We want to go our own way, we want to find out for ourselves… until we don’t.
Thinking we know better, we often stumble into consequences we couldn’t have imagined.
Why can’t we see God as our loving parent – father and mother – longing for our best?
I believe our world needs this, because too often this is not what we experience here.
Even now, as our world is “left to you desolate” (23:38), he is still longing for us.
Don’t believe the bad press from the world and the church – God is not an angry monster.
God through Jesus shows us deep longing and loving mercy, still wanting to help us.
PRAYER
Lord, your vision of God is appealing, a God that longs and loves, that suffers and dies, that keeps on calling us home. Forgive us for turning public opinion against God with our portrayals of what God is like.
God wants to be our God – our Heavenly Father – but so often we spurn the love of our God. Here: ‘I have longed to gather your children together” and in Ps 51 God expresses His disappointment with people practicing sacrifices without meaning their intent. God wants to be honoured and loved as our God – that we serve him and call on Him – let Him know what our needs are and He wants to respond – He wants to be there for us – but we have to want Him and desire Him above all. He is our God and He is our Heavenly Father – we may call Him that! Oh Lord forgive me when I disrespect you and take you for granted. I need you in my life!
Safe and secure under His wings. That is comfort. That is God’s way.
And yet we/I all too often go our own way thinking we know best. We go it alone.
As parents want the best for their children so too does the Lord. Yet as children, we think we can go it alone. We are not in charge. He is. This is His world and I need to live in His presence giving honour and praise to my Father – living for Jesus each day anew for He created new opportunities to serve Him. And knowing that His Spirit leads and guides His people, that surety leads me home.
This is my Father’s world:
O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the Ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world:
Why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King: let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let earth be glad!