Covered by His Wings

In the spring and early summer, my homing pigeons sit on eggs and have young ones. I have had pigeons for many years now, and every year, I marvel again at the wonder of how they look after their young ones.

Homing pigeons are amazing birds. They will fly home from as far away as 500 miles (800 kilometres), at speeds of up to 50 miles (80 kilometres) per hour. They were extensively used during the First and Second World Wars to deliver important messages. The hen will lay two eggs, and both the cock and the hen will sit on these eggs, the cock for 8 hours during the day and the hen for the other 16 hours. It takes 18 days for the eggs to hatch, and in 24 days, the fledglings are ready to leave the nest.

But the thing that amazes me, as well, is that both adult birds will cover their young with their body and wings, all the time when they first hatch, and later, only when it is cold. They seem to know when the little birds need their protection and when they don't.

And isn't that the way it is with us? Sometimes we struggle, mentally, physically, or spiritually, and then, the Lord will talk to us through His Word and comfort us, even when words fail us.

And that made me think of a couple of Scripture passages:

Psalm 36:7 – How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. (NKJV)

Psalm 63:7 – Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. (NKJV)

How precious is God's lovingkindness indeed! When we are in trouble, we can come to Him, and He will protect us. We can put our trust in Him.

But there were then, and there still are now, so many people who do not hear this message. Jesus often reprimanded the people for the things that they were doing wrong. He called the Pharisees hypocrites, blind guides, and fools, and He cried over Jerusalem:

Matthew 23:37 – O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! (NKJV)

The little pigeons depend on the protection of the parents and they will look after them when they need it. Just so, we depend upon God. He calls us through His Word, and He will gather us as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings.

Prayer: Our Father in heaven, there are so many times when we need Your protection: times when we are in distress, times when we have trouble expressing our inner thoughts to those closest to us or even to You. We pray, Lord, that You will give us the ability to speak to You, for we know that You will hear us. We offer this prayer in Jesus' name. Amen.