“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth…”

Genesis 1:2b - And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

Hovering. Like a bird.

Psalm 91:4 (NIV) - He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge…

Feathers, wings. Like a bird.

When Mary was told she would conceive and have Jesus:

Luke 1:35 - And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.”

Overshadow. Like a cloud or the hovering of a bird.

Jesus had something like the Spirit’s DNA in him from conception but the Spirit then comes physically when he’s baptized. And how?

Luke 3:22 - the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove…

Like a bird.

Matthew 23:37 [Jesus speaking] - “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings”

Hen, brood, wings. Like a bird.

The love of God. The great one who gathers chicks under wings to protect them. Who feeds them when they can’t see. Who teaches them to fly.

David gets intimidated by an enemy:

Psalm 11:1 - In the Lord I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, “Flee like a bird to your mountain. For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.”

David says, “I don’t need to flee this situation. I am a bird and I’ve already spiritually gone into my hiding place.”

Lamentations 3:52 - I have been hunted like a bird by those who were my enemies without cause…

And God comes:

Psalm 91:3 - he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler

Fowler - a hunter of fowl. Bird language.

Psalm 42:8a - By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me…

Singing songs. Like a bird. Like a loving Father.

Matthew 6:26 [Jesus speaking] - “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

Oh, God who saves, help us see you and your love all through the Scriptures - from the first verse through to the last. Let us sense and know your love. Cause us to live it out. Teach us to see your design. We look to you!

Psalm 91:4 (NIV) - He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge…