The rule is to write with no editing or over processing for five minutes.
The word given was gather.
Matthew 23:37
“how often have I longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.”
Dictionary. com says gather is to: to pick up piece by piece, to scoop up or collect or accumulate.
When we think of the word gather it doesn’t sound too important yet in the Bible it is mentioned two hundred and sixty nine times.
That is pretty impressive.
What do you think of when you hear the word?
Gather, collecting together. The image of a mother hovering over her babies suggests protection, and safety.
That is what God is trying to tell us here.
We gather together to be safe, unified and to be less alone.
I think of the word in an old song we used to sing, “we gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing.”
It is a hymn and a wonderful little tune.
The first part of the Matthew verse has “Oh Jerusalem.” God addressing the people.
The verse seems so fitting right now with the unrest and disharmony over in the land of God’s people.
Many wars and rumors of wars. God is asking a coming together. In safety and in protection.
The verse could also imply we refuse to move and draw near to him.
In order for someone or something to gather, within a group there must be co-operation.
The verse said, “you were not willing.”
That is a powerful line as I cannot imagine telling God, the maker of everything, No, I don’t want to.
Sometimes our independence can cause us great harm or even death if we don’t listen to the warning.
Let us choose with a ‘firm decision to encourage each other,”
Let us choose to gather together in prayer and in compassion.
Let us gather together to ask his blessing over all that we do.