Scripture presents us with a myriad of images of God. There’s the burning bush, the rock, the cloud, the still small voice, the mother hen, the good shepherd, the creator, the midwife, the lover, the potter, just to begin to scratch the surface of what we find there. We know that God is not any of these particular things, that they are people’s attempts to describe their own personal experiences of God in ways that others might be able to relate to, to recognize, to understand. The psalmists seem to be among the most prolific image makers, and today’s psalm is a good example: shelter, refuge, stronghold, deliverer, shield and buckler.

“He shall cover you with his pinions, and you shall find refuge under his wings” in today’s psalm speaks to me of Jesus’ use of the mother hen image (Mt. 23:37). On the wall over the window across from my prayer chair is a framed mola depicting this verse for me. [A mola is a reverse appliqué made by the women of the Cuna (Google also spells it Kuna) Indians on the San Blas Islands off the coast of Panama.] In the center is a large bird (eagle? quetzal?) with outstretched wings. On the very tip of each wing is a heart. There is a person in the orans positions (arms upraised in prayer) standing under each arched wing. The people are standing on a broad rock somehow associated with the feet of the bird. Below the stone are symbols of the Trinity (a trefoil) and Love (a heart). The background vibrates colorfully with the glory of God. Meditating with this mola is always fruitful and leaves me feeling safe and secure, enfolded in God’s loving arms, to mix my metaphors.

Different images of God speak to us, nurture us, stretch us at different times and places on our journey. May you always find the image you need as you grow and change on the way.