Jesus would frequently refer to God as his “Father.” The image was meant as a personal and intimate one, God not being above it all but being in a close relationship. Also in the Bible are images of God as mother. For example we read in the Prophet Isaiah: Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you. Having both images of God — both father and mother — should alert us that every image we have of God is incomplete. God is always more than we can describe or even imagine. In our prayer as we develop our own intimate relationship with God we should use images that stress divine compassion.
