GOD'S WINGS

 

I find it very endearing that following the chastisement and prior to His immediate appearing on the American continent, the Saviour compared His love and care for the House of Israel to that of a mother’s greatest attribute of protection, and accompanied that statement with anguish of rejection: “…..O ye people of the house of Israel….how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens and ye would not” (3 Nephi 10:4,5).

The Saviour would have us know that his heart is like a mother's: loving to the point of self-sacrifice, relentlessly caring and aggressively protective. He would have us know that within the shadow of His wings, He gathers us and protects us from the world which seeks to tears us down.

Consider the characteristics of a mother hen that the Saviour used as an example of His care:

“Keeping Safe by Mother’s Side:

·        After the first three days, the chicks develop a fear of new things, an instinct that keeps them safe from danger. However, mother hen’s presence makes them feel secure, and she provides a safe base from which they can explore and learn about the world.

·        A mother hen gives special alarm calls when she senses danger relevant to her brood’s age. She adjusts these calls as chicks mature, so that she only calls for small predators when they are a danger to them.

·        In addition to providing warmth and protection, researchers have found that a mother hen provides an important source of social learning for the chicks she is raising. Three important tasks are guidance over food, synchronization of resting and active periods, and mitigation of fear.

·        It appears that the security offered by a mother hen promotes the healthy behavioural development of the chicks she is raising. A confident mother can help her chicks to grow up with appropriate behaviour for their environment, leading to a happy and healthy life.” (Tamsin Cooper, Raising Chicks with Mother Hen, 18 Aug 2021)

Can you see the Saviour in what you have just read? Does He not provide knowledge that can lead to a happy and healthy life? Does He not send prophets to warn us of present danger? Does He not offer security through His commandments and His gospel? Does He not dispel fear and offer protection through the power of His spirit? Does He not make us feel secure in the knowledge He has given us of our eternal nature and eternal destiny? Has He not provided everything that is needful for us through the power of His creation? Does He not promise us safety from the calamities that are yet to engulf the world and its wickedness when He appears? Could He possibly do more in His capacity as a saviour to ensure our ultimate success?

Notice that His lament was directed at the House of Israel only. The Saviour came to minister to the lost sheep of this chosen race whose privilege it is to receive the blessings of the priesthood and who are charged to bring the gospel to the nations as pertaining to the Abrahamic covenant. As such we belong in the shadow of His wings, protected and preserved to bring the knowledge of the truth to the world.

 

Thou art our everlasting God

Jehovah, our King,

Who has loved us and chosen us as Thine own;

We bow before Thee and bend the knee,

In solemnity we offer our hearts to Thee.

Keep us as the apple of Thine eye,

Hide us under the shadow of Thy wings

That we might never stray again

And cause Thee sorrow;

And help us wait for Thee

In the dawning of tomorrow.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: I Would Gather Thee by Liz Lemon Swindle)