He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler. Psalm 91:4

         Colony graduate, Rev. Chris Thompson, was a speaker this summer during Victory Week 4. God used Chris in a tremendous way and one morning he shared this portion of a story and it just touched my heart. I hope it will touch yours too!
          “The city is filled with pale yellow chicks and at least one fox. In the absence of a mother hen, some of the chicks have taken to following the fox around. Others are huddled out in the open where anything with claws can get to them. Across the valley, a white hen with a gold halo around her head is clucking for all she is worth. Most of the chicks cannot hear her, and the ones that do make no response. They no longer recognize her voice. They have forgotten who they are.
If you ever loved someone you could not protect, then you understand the depth of Jesus’ lament. All you can do is open your arms. You cannot make anyone walk into them. Meanwhile, this is the most vulnerable posture in the world- wings spread, breast exposed- but if you mean what you say, then this is how you stand.
          Given the number of animals available, it is curious that Jesus chooses a hen. Where is the biblical precedent for that? What about the mighty eagle of Exodus, or Hosea’s stealthy leopard? What about the proud lion of Judah, mowing down his enemies with a roar? Compared to any of those, a mother hen does not inspire much confidence. No wonder some of the chicks decided to go with the fox.
          But a hen is what Jesus chooses, which-if you think about it-is pretty typical of Hhim. He is always turning things upside down, so that children and peasants wind up on top while kings and scholars land on the bottom. He is always wrecking our expectations of how things should turn out by giving prizes to losers and paying the last first. So of course Hhe chooses a chicken, which is about as far from a fox as you can get. That way options become very clear: you can live by licking your chops or you can die by protecting the chicks.
Jesus won’t be king of the jungle in this or any other story. What He will be is a mother hen, who stands between the chicks and those who mean to do them harm. She has no fangs, no claws, no rippling muscles. All she has is her willingness to shield her babies with her own body. If the fox wants them, he will have to kill her first.
          Which he does, as it turns out. He slides up on her one night in the garden while all the babies are asleep. When her cry wakens them, they scatter. She dies the next day where both foxes and chickens can see her-wings spread, breast exposed- without a single chick beneath her feathers. It breaks her heart, but it doesn’t change a thing. If you mean what you say, then this is how you stand.”
          I love the pictures we get to see throughout the Bible and various stories. I hope you got a picture of Jesus today and that you know the depths of His love for you, that you know He died for you and that we can still find refuge under His wings.
          “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! Matthew 23:37
Blessings,
Kathy Withers

Kathy’s on staff at America’s KESWICK in the Development Department. Kathy has been married to her husband Dave for 27 years.  They have two adult children. Kathy is active in her local Church and has taught Sunday School and Bible Studies for women. Her passion is to encourage women to deepen their walk with Jesus Christ by finding and living out the truths of God’s Word.