But this is what the Lord has told me: … The Lord of Heaven’s Armies will hover over Jerusalem and protect it like a bird protecting its nest. He will defend and save the city; he will pass over it and rescue it.” [Isaiah 31:4a,5 (NLT)]

Most birds don’t appear very intimidating, so unless you’ve seen a mockingbird defend its nest, this verse from Isaiah might not seem terribly reassuring. Several mocking birds live in my neighborhood and I enjoy listening to their delightful songs. This is nesting season, however, and the bird with the beautiful songs now has a loud aggressive rasping call that is used to harass any other bird or person that ventures near its nest. This little bird will even give chase to birds over twice its size just to keep its nest safe. A mockingbird family has chosen to nest in a shrub just a few feet from my lanai. As a result, whenever I go out, one of the parents will sit atop the screen and screech down at me. It harasses me non-stop with the bird version of, “Stay away from my babies! Stay away from my home! Go away, go away!” It gives me great comfort to know that God promises to love, defend and protect me like a bird protecting its nest!