Several years ago, I came across a story that I've never forgotten.
After a devastating forest fire, a ranger was walking through the burned remains of what had once been a thriving woodland. Beneath a scorched tree, he noticed a bird—motionless, hardened by heat, reduced to ash. With gentle care, he nudged the bird aside using a stick. At that moment, something unexpected happened. Tiny chicks suddenly scurried out from beneath their mother’s wings—alive.
Instinctively, that mother bird would have known how to save herself. She could have flown upward, away from the flames and toxic smoke. But she didn’t. Instead, sensing the danger closing in, she gathered her chicks beneath her wings and stayed. The fire took her life, but her sacrifice gave them theirs.
That image—of wings stretched wide in protection—beautifully reflects how Scripture describes the love of God. Psalm 91:4 (NKJV) says, “He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge.” God’s heart has always been to cover, protect, and preserve His children—even at great cost to Himself.
Nowhere is that more clearly seen than at the cross.
Jesus took upon Himself the punishment we deserved for our sins so that we could be forgiven, restored, and given eternal life with Him. He gave His life for ours. And while the cross stands as the ultimate expression of that sacrifice, God’s covering did not end with Jesus’ death and resurrection. It continues to define how He relates to us today.
We see this pattern from the very beginning.
When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, their eyes were suddenly opened. They became aware of their nakedness—something they had never noticed before because they had always lived under God’s provision and protection. In their shame, they tried to cover themselves with fig leaves. But their attempt was insufficient.
Genesis 3:7 & 21 (NLT) tells us, “At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness… So the LORD God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.” God Himself provided a covering—one they could never have made on their own.
That truth still applies to us.
Our own efforts—our good intentions, self-improvement, or religious striving—are like fig leaves. They cannot truly cover us. But God, in His mercy, provides what we lack. Through our relationship with Jesus, we are covered completely.
The blood Jesus shed on the cross washes us clean and makes us acceptable before God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NLT) declares, “God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”
So what does that mean for us—practically, daily, personally?
Isaiah gives us a vivid picture. Isaiah 61:10 (NIV) says, “I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness.” This is not a righteousness we earn. It is a righteousness Jesus earned and freely gives to us.
By faith, it is as though we put on a perfectly white robe. And when God looks at us, He sees that robe—pure, spotless, without blemish. Our sins are forgiven. Our record is clean.
Because of that covering, Colossians 1:22 (NIV) becomes true for us: “But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation.” And Romans 4:7–8 (NIV) reminds us, “Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”
So many believers live with a quiet sense of unworthiness. They know their failures. They remember what lies beneath the robe. But God is not asking us to stand before Him uncovered. He is looking at the covering He Himself provided.
We are not wrapped in fragile fig leaves. We are clothed in Christ.
Just like that mother bird, Jesus stretched out His arms and gave His life to cover you—to reconcile you to God, to call you His child, to help you, and to bless you. His love was never dependent on your ability to be perfect. It was always rooted in His grace.
So come to Him wearing the robe He gave you. Believe that His love truly covers you. Let Him help you grow, change, and become more like Jesus day by day.
And hear His invitation once more:
Isaiah 1:18 (NLT) — “Come now, let’s settle this,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.”
That is the power of His covering.
