“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”1
An article supposedly reported in a national magazine, though not true, provides a penetrating parable picture of God’s wings. After a forest fire in a national park, so the story goes, forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno’s damage.
One ranger found a dead bird in the ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. Somewhat sickened by the eerie sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick.
When he struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their dead mother’s wings. The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the tree and gathered them under her wings. She could have flown to safety but refused to abandon her babies. When the blaze arrived and the heat singed her small body, the mother remained steadfast.
Even though this story isn’t true, one could imagine a mother hen seeking to protect her chicks by covering them with her wings. Because Jesus was willing to die for us—a true story—all who dwell “under the shadow of his [God/Jesus'] wings” will live—forever.
Suggested prayer: “Dear Jesus/God, thank you that you were willing to die for me so I could live. Help me to be willing to live for you so that I can be used of you to help win others to you so that they, too, will find refuge under the shadow of your wings and your gift of forgiveness and eternal life. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”
1. Psalm 91:4.
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