When I was a girl my great grandmother died and eventually my great grandfather was beyond caring for the large home that had been the site of family gatherings and sleepovers for decades. Before the estate sale we were asked if there was anything we wanted. I asked for a picture of a mother hen gathering her chicks under her. It was a large picture (at least to an 10x13 I think) and my mother thought the hen looked intimidating. But even at age 6 or 7, I was attracted to the idea of having a MUCH larger parent willing to take on the world in order to gather her little chicks to the safety of her wings.
I've seen startling pictures of tiny chicks surviving forest fires because the mother had placed the safety of her chicks above fleeing certain death as a wall of fire swept her forest home.
This reading from Ps 91:41 always has been dear to me, maybe because of the connection to that long-ago picture from my grandfather's boyhood home. Like a bird protecting its young, God will cover you with His feathers, will protect you under His great wings; His faithfulness will form a shield around you, a rock-solid wall to protect you.
So if this is a day colored by bad news, persistent fears, grinding problems or fleeing hope, won't you remember that God's love for us is more than we can outrun; His desire for our good greater than our fear driven fleeing. Pause for a moment to let your understanding catch up to the reality: no matter how frightened, overwhelmed or alone you feel, the great wings of God are hovering over you, waiting for you to give permission to God to take an active role in comforting, guiding, tending and restoring you.
O Spirit of God, help us cry out our need so that You may pour out all good things into our lives. I realize this does not happen because we win the "perfect life sweepstakes" where suddenly we have every material thing that might catch our eye. Nor does it mean that we will have no challenges, sorrows or grief. But it does mean that we will have enough, and learn to recognize it as enough. We will not need to rely solely on our abilities or worldly resources to travel through the hard times, but rather we can live lives of purpose, hope and joy at all times and in all places. AMEN
I've seen startling pictures of tiny chicks surviving forest fires because the mother had placed the safety of her chicks above fleeing certain death as a wall of fire swept her forest home.
This reading from Ps 91:41 always has been dear to me, maybe because of the connection to that long-ago picture from my grandfather's boyhood home. Like a bird protecting its young, God will cover you with His feathers, will protect you under His great wings; His faithfulness will form a shield around you, a rock-solid wall to protect you.
So if this is a day colored by bad news, persistent fears, grinding problems or fleeing hope, won't you remember that God's love for us is more than we can outrun; His desire for our good greater than our fear driven fleeing. Pause for a moment to let your understanding catch up to the reality: no matter how frightened, overwhelmed or alone you feel, the great wings of God are hovering over you, waiting for you to give permission to God to take an active role in comforting, guiding, tending and restoring you.
O Spirit of God, help us cry out our need so that You may pour out all good things into our lives. I realize this does not happen because we win the "perfect life sweepstakes" where suddenly we have every material thing that might catch our eye. Nor does it mean that we will have no challenges, sorrows or grief. But it does mean that we will have enough, and learn to recognize it as enough. We will not need to rely solely on our abilities or worldly resources to travel through the hard times, but rather we can live lives of purpose, hope and joy at all times and in all places. AMEN
RSS Feed
