He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Psalm 91:4
Living in the extreme ends of the earth, emperor penguins are the only warm-blooded creatures to live in the coldest reaches of the Antarctic in July, the worst part of their perpetual winter. The climate is most inhospitable. They live in close huddles numbering into the thousands. To retain enough warmth for survival, they shuffle continually, taking each their turn on both the inside and the outside of the circle.
When the mother penguin has laid her egg, she will leave. She goes to feed in the cold sea water, waddling long distances over the ice to do so.
Meanwhile, the father balances the egg on top of his shuffling webbed feet. There it rests, swaddled under an "apron" of fine feathers. No matter how bitter the cold around him, the temperature there holds at precisely 98.6 degrees F. After sixty-five days the baby chick hatches. Should it accidentally fall from its low perch and out of the warmth, it would last only two minutes in the intense cold. It remains in its warm covert until the climate takes a turn, and the temperature inches up to a more moderate level.
After awhile the mothers return well fed, now able to feed each one their own fledgling with regurgitated fish. Next it is the fathers' turn to go and feast.
When a little older the youngsters gather in large groups in a bird-kind of daycare. It is warmer by now, the water closer. When the mothers return from fishing, they look for their babies. Among all the thousands of chicks, they find each their own by the sounds they make.
I thought about God's plan for us when I read of the penguins. We, too, live in an inhospitable cold world. Here our young are born, and here is where we raise them. As innocent children, their souls are safely in the Father's keeping, sheltered under the feathers of His grace.
But parents need to forage for food. No matter how cold the sea, we must feed on the Word so we have the right diet for our children. Unless we nurture the spirit within us, we have nothing to give them. We need to make God's word digestible for them. Breaking the truths we have been shown into small enough pieces, they can assimilate them better.
Penguins are equipped to live in cold climates. The Creator has seen to that. But one penguin alone could not survive the winter. They need a huddle, just like we need the church. However, no matter how large the grouping, if the penguins would not keep moving, they could hardly survive. Should believers become inert and frozen, having left the warm wings of God, they cause the death of many others.
Today I want to keep close under His wings. Hiding there, His life within me, I want to feast on His word. If I don't, I will have nothing to feed "my young."
(Father God, thank you for reminding me of the care You put into all of your creation. Thank you for sheltering me, feeding me, and warming me through the harsh winters of my life. I pray that I might not forget the things You have shown me and that I would show them to my own. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.)
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