When I painted the watercolour birds and feathers for this print, I kept thinking about how fiercely protective mother birds are with their young. If you've ever walked too close to a nest, you know - they'll dive at you, call out warnings, put themselves between any threat and their babies. They don't hesitate. They don't calculate the risk. They just cover.
That's the image Psalm 91:4 gives us of God: "He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge."
It's one of the most tender pictures of divine protection in all of scripture. Not a distant, impersonal God watching from heaven. Not a deity who sets everything in motion and then steps back. But a God who draws us close, covers us with His feathers, shelters us under His wings. The imagery is intimate, maternal even. Protective and nurturing.
I love that the verse says "you will find refuge" - not you might, or you could, but you will. It's certain. When we come to God, when we shelter under His wings, we find what we're looking for. Safety. Security. A place where we can finally breathe.
The feathers in this design are soft pastels - pink, blue, yellow, lilac - colours you might find on spring birds or in a child's drawing. I wanted them to feel gentle and hopeful rather than dramatic or intense. Because that's what this verse offers, isn't it? Not loud proclamations but quiet assurance. You are covered. You are safe. You are held.
I think we all have seasons when we desperately need this reminder. Times when anxiety keeps us awake. When the world feels threatening. When we're caring for vulnerable people we love and feeling overwhelmed by the responsibility. When our own hearts feel fragile and exposed.
Into those moments, this verse whispers: come under My wings. Let Me cover you. You will find refuge here.
The little birds scattered through the design nestle among the leaves, safe and settled. That's what we get to be - not constantly vigilant, not forever braced for impact, but sheltered. Covered. At rest under wings that never tire, never fail, never withdraw their protection.
If you need that shelter today, it's there. Under His wings, you will find refuge. Not might. Will.