“He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” -Psalm 91:4
There are a few places in the Psalms where they describe being under the shelter of God, or under his wings, or under his feathers. And I’ve always struggled with that imagery. This is most likely due to the fact that I am not a bird (a Bert, yes, but a bird, no).
But this photo helps me understand a little more what it means to be under God’s protection and shelter. My problem is that there was always an impersonal understanding of what it meant to be under the shelter of God’s wings. He would shelter me because I needed sheltering. He would protect me because I needed protecting.
But this photo brings God’s relationship with me much closer. It is not just from obligation or willingness that he keeps me under his wings. But rather desire. There is a fierceness in this bird’s eyes that seems to say, “Nothing will touch my children”. And there’s a closeness and warmth you see in the wings: that it is not just for shelter, but also to draw her children close.
Rereading the whole of Psalm 91 only drives home that point. It is a powerful declaration of God’s eternal covenant to his children. It proclaims the beauty of being under His love and in love with Him.
And so I’m learning that no matter how large an obstacle seems, how difficult a situation, or simply how painful things are, there is only one place to find refuge. As we find life constantly shifting and changing, there is only one rock on which we can stand.
Let’s learn to say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”