#FEARLESS365 is a yearlong study of God’s commandment to us to live without fear. For 365 days, we will focus on one scripture and volunteers from all over the world will share their personal thoughts and what God has shared with them on the specific verse. For more info… go here.

“He will cover you and completely protect you with His pinions,

And under His wings you will find refuge;

His faithfulness is a shield and a wall.

You will not be afraid of the terror of night,

Nor of the arrow that flies by day,” (AMP)

Psalm 91:4-5

These verses are a comforting promise to me. I have lived with depression for over 20 years, some years worse than others. Finding refuge is something I used to do under the bedcovers, avoiding people and becoming closed in on myself.

These verses give us an image of a mother hen gathering her chicks beneath her wings to keep them safe.  It’s not something she does only out of need or duty but out of love, an instinctive desire to protect. It is a natural response to those in her care and she is faithful in her commitment to protect. I read a story where a farmer looking through the debris of his burned barn found a charred lump he realised was a hen, as he moved to bury it 3 chicks came running out from beneath it’s charred wings.

The mother hen protects and provides safety by bringing her chicks in closer to her, as close as they can get. God seeks to do the same for his children, he draws us close to him and gathers us under his protection.

On dark days instead of curling up under the bedcovers and refusing to come out I put determined feet on the floor and walk through my day under the protection of God’s wings.

What changed? Well I did, I stopped being afraid of the day. Living with depression means being at continual risk of triggers, of overdoing it and becoming exhausted or just being unable to cope. My coping strategy was to avoid any risk as much as possible. The problem is I was surviving and not living, but Jesus did not die for me to hide, he had given me abundant life and I was too afraid to live it.

I found that the more I leaned on God, trusted him and stepped out in obedience. The more I was able to cope under his protection. The depression did not disappear, I still have dark days but those dark days are more often lived on my feet under the protection of his wings and serving him.

The danger that created the fear has not disappeared, the enemy still prowls like a hungry fox around the hen house. But, it can’t get to me so long as I remain under God’s protection. We need not fear when we have a faithful God who shields and protects us from whatever dangers may lie in wait.

Tania Vaughan is a speaker and writer. She loves teaching from the Bible and sharing her testimony at events and conferences to encourage women into a deeper relationship with God. Tania is currently studying Theology at Trinity College in Bristol and working as a freelance web designer to fund her studies.