He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge. Psalms 91:4 NIV
Every day we require protection from circumstances beyond our control, especially these days, don’t we? It might be protection for our finances in this economic downturn. It may be for our health, our emotions, our dignity. Countless people are praying for protection from the life-sapping pandemic.
Crazy as it may sound, when I think of protection I think about Big Bird. Big Bird was our handsome, huge, black and white feathered friend with a bright red cap.
The chickens were my husband, Morton’s, pet project. Pet being the active word. Our chickens were spoiled as bad as the dogs (another story). They preferred handouts rather than dig for bugs. In fact, we often found them knocking on our glass doors inviting us to come out for a snack.
As far as I know, all chickens fear the dark. When the sun began to set, our flock headed straight to the coop and climbed on the roost under the rafters. Generally, if they were not secured at night, we might not find them in the morning.
Now, Big Bird would tell you that his God-given job was to protect his hens, even from the hands that tried to feed them. To those who knew him well, he was meaner than mean. In fact, he was mean to me. Note: Never turn your back on a rooster; never ever turn your back even to run. I have scars.
However, I now owe him a huge apology.
One day, when Morton was down to three hens, he failed to notice that the door to the coop had blown shut. When he went out to make sure his feathered “kids” were home safely from their daily exploring, they had been locked out and were nowhere to be found. That night, well, it seemed the fowl would be fair game for foul play.
They knew it. Morton, their “father”, knew it.
Finally, after much searching with his flashlight, and many pangs of guilt, he found them behind the coop, almost totally hidden from view. Picture this: Big Bird was sitting over the top of the hens in the manner of a loving father, hiding them under his wings for their protection.
Can you imagine? Can you see it? That is the perfect image of Christ’s protection of us.
I get a huge kick out of finding Jesus’ parables in my everyday life. It’s like - I see the story and then I imagine Jesus standing there, grinning at me. The perfect teachable moment from Christ.
Jesus is our protection from the unknown concerns of life. He is with us, everywhere, all the time, in every circumstance.
How priceless is Your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. Psalms 36:7 NIV
The imagery of chickens and wings (not the “hot” ones) are colorful reminders of our Lord’s protection. In fact, wings are mentioned a lot in scripture, especially in Psalms. Most often they are used as a metaphor for God’s protection and sustaining care of His people.
Have you seen any visual reminders this week that Christ is protecting you? Have you recognized His hand in daily, simple happenings? Imagine His smile when you do.
Hugs and Blessings,
Prayer
Dear Lord, we praise and humbly thank you for Your presence in our lives. It humbles us to realize that You choose to spend time with us simply because You love us so much. Please open our eyes and bless us with the discernment to see You in our days, to recognize Your extraordinary in our ordinary. Amen.
