God's Refuge

"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 NIV)

Several years ago, National Geographic ran a disaster story with a picture that provided an interesting perspective of the refuge under God's wings.

After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park , forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno's damage. One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesque on the ground at the base of a tree.

Somewhat sickened by the eerie sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick. When he gently struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their dead mother's wings. The loving mother, keenly aware of the impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the tree and had gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing that the toxic smoke would rise.

This mother bird could have abandoned her chicks and flown to safety. Instead, she had refused to abandon them, protecting them with her own wings. Then as the fire arrived and the blazes scorched her small body, the mother had remained steadfast. Because she was willing to die, so those under her wings would live.

Such a sacrifice is exactly what God did at Calvary through Jesus Christ for all humanity. He gave his son so that everyone who believes in and hides under his sacrifice will not perish but have eternal life.

Dear Father, thank you for the refuge under the wings of Calvary. Grant that we may rest in the security of that refuge. This I pray in the name of Jesus. AMEN

Be strong and courageous today in God's refuge,