April 13 – Covered With Wings of Faithfulness

He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. Psalm 91:4  

This image of God with feathers is an intriguing thought. We don’t know just what God looks like—although we imagine Him to look somewhat human. This passage refers to the pinions, parts of feathers. So do you think God has feathers? In Psalms 36:7 we find another reference to wings: How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. In another passage we get the comforting image and thought of a mother hen and her chicks when Jesus is speaking of the city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. Matthew 23:37. Jesus is not saying that God is a bird—just that He wants to protect the Jews like a mother hen protects her brood. I have always liked this passage, having seen a mother hen gather her little chicks around her, trying to cover them with her wings to protect and shield them. The little chicks know to run to their mother and hide under her wings. What a great image of faithfulness we can see in the mother hen who puts her life in danger to protect her chicks. Would you say that your faithfulness is like that for your family? Are you setting an example of faithfulness for your children? Are your kids learning to be faithful to the Lord?  

Training Tip – Keep your eyes open for a bird feather—collect and take it home and wash it well to be sure there are no lice or germs that can be transmitted to your family. If you have a microscope available to you then use that or a magnifying glass and have your children look at the feather closely. Show them how the feather is light weight with the hollow shaft, yet strong so that the bird can fly. You may want to look on the internet for some diagrams that illustrate the parts of the feather. Point out that the feather has little hooks in it that fit together to increase the strength. God is faithful to create such strength for the bird—and He will be faithful to us to protect us—like the scripture in Psalm 91 says—to shield and protect us. Likewise, we need to be faithful to God and to each other. 

Lord – Like the mother hen, cover us with Your protection—unlike Jerusalem, we are willing to have Your protection. Thank you for your faithfulness, for when we seek refuge with You, You are there for us.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.