He will cover you with His feathers. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Psalm 91:4 NLT
Several years ago, I read a story about a woman who was involved in a carjacking. She was sitting in the passenger seat of her friend’s car, waiting for the driver to return from inside the gas station. A man jumped in the car and began shouting for her to get out while picking up the keys which were lying on the console. He started the car. As he grabbed for her purse she screamed, “Feathers! Feathers! Feathers!”
She and her friend were coming home from their weekly Bible Study.
Her screams must have scared the daylights out of him as he jumped out as quickly as he had jumped into the car. The police were called, and she told them what had happened. She also explained that she had just read the scripture about feathers in her Bible Study that morning and that is all she could think to say as she felt the terror of what the man was going to do to her.
The officers looked at each other and could not help but laugh. The carjacker must have thought she was crazy and didn’t know how to deal with this crazy lady. She must have scared him off with her shouts of “Feathers!”
Who knew feathers would become armor against the harm this lady could have possibly suffered?
Ever since I read that story, I have often said, “God, I need feathers” when I’ve been afraid or worried about something. I don’t need to quote a full verse of scripture for God to understand my need.
Photo provided
My prayers are sometimes filled with bits and pieces of scriptures. I’m just quoting what I can remember. Believe me when I say my prayers are more eclectically babbled than eloquently recited.
Thank goodness, God can interpret my words. He knows what my words mean as they come pleading from my heart.
Whenever harsh words are directed at me, whenever hurts are handed to me in bulk, whenever worries fill my mind without an inkling of what I can do to guard my thoughts … I just ask God to send the feathers.
Do you know what’s good about feathers? They are available to everyone. They are simply a symbol of God’s promises. Provision. Protection. Peace. All are given by God who simply tells us to ask.
No fancy words are spoken with a liturgical prayer. No need for us to be in the sanctuary of a church while kneeling at an altar.
We simply need to recognize our need for God to intervene on our behalf, even if it is by simply saying, “Feathers.”
This week my prayer was quite simple, “God I need wisdom and a whole lot of feathers.”
God is faithful. He brought a very wise friend to share her thoughts and a few cups of coffee. She had no idea she also brought along feathers. Her words (feathers) were what my heart needed to hear.
Thank you, God, for Sara and for the feathers.
Janet Hart Leonard can be contacted at janethartleonard@gmail.com or followed on Facebook or Instagram (@janethartleonard). Visit janethartleonard.com.