“Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, for my soul takes refuge in Thee; and in the shadow of thy wings, I will take refuge, until destruction passes by.” Psalm 57:1
Years ago, I heard a missionary talk about touring a farm in Brazil after a wildfire had roared through, leaving destruction in its wake.
There, on the ground, were charred feathers, and the missionary was sad over the farmer’s loss. But the farmer told him to wait for it.
As they watched, the feathers began to stir, and — pop, pop, pop — one after another the chicks emerged, scratched at the ground, and found bits of seeds and roots to eat.
The farmer knew the strength of mother hens: In all the animal kingdom, they are the ones who will die for their young. When a fire approaches, mother hens scratch furiously to make a divot in the ground and gather their chicks. Then, they sit on them and endure the flames.
Hearing that story gave me a whole new appreciation for Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem in Matthew 23: 37-39: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings …”