Got You Covered

One of the most beautiful truths I embrace tightly in my walk with God is that He works through relationships to reveal His heart, love, and purpose. His heart is evident not just in the big, dramatic moments but also in the quiet, daily interactions between people who are willing to let His love flow through them. God delights when His children grow in a godly love for one another, a love that covers and protects, defends, and reflects His very heart. Two of the most tangible examples of this truth for me are my relationships with Fredah and Esther. These two young women, though distant relatives have become my sisters in the truest sense over the past two years. The bond we share is not only a testament to God’s sovereign plan but also a reflection of His providence in bringing us together, shaping us, and teaching us what it means to care for one another with a love that mirrors His own.

I see God’s hand in this connection every time we gather, whether over a cup of coffee, a prayer, dinner, or just a simple conversation. I marvel at how He has knit our hearts together, a bond so deep that only He could have orchestrated. It’s a beautiful reminder that God’s purposes are far-reaching, and sometimes His intentions for our lives play out in ways we might never have expected. The relationship I share with Fredah and Esther is, to me, a perfect example of how intentional God is. Nothing is coincidental in His kingdom. Every encounter and every connection is part of His plan, part of the way He shapes and equips His children to walk together in love and grace.

While I am honoured to be a source of covering and discipleship for Fredah and Esther, I also know that the impact of this relationship is not one-sided. These young ladies have covered me in ways that continually amaze me. When I’ve been under the weather or overwhelmed with tasks, they’ve stepped in without hesitation, offering help in ways I never asked for but desperately needed. When Ceaser and I have been working late into the night, Fredah and Esther have seamlessly taken over our bedtime routine with Caleb and Chiara, ensuring the kids feel loved and cared for while we’re occupied. Their presence in our lives has reduced stress and brought peace in ways we could not have anticipated. It’s a reminder that God, in His intentionality, sends people into our lives who become the very means of His covering.

I don’t take this for granted. The truth is, I wouldn’t be able to show up in the way I do in this season without the covering of God through Ceaser, Fredah, and Esther. God has surrounded me with people who don’t just stand by and watch from the sidelines but actively participate in the mission of our family, offering support and love in the most practical ways. And in doing so, they’ve demonstrated to me what it looks like to live out the command to “love one another” with a love that covers, protects, and gives without expecting anything in return.

As I look back on these three years of walking alongside Fredah and Esther, I am deeply grateful for the way God has used them to teach me what it means to be covered, not just in the moments when I need help, but in the everyday exchanges that remind me of His goodness. I am thankful for their friendship, for their willingness to walk with me, and for the way they’ve helped me become a better version of myself. Above all, I am reminded that God is intentional, and His love for us is made visible in the relationships He orchestrates in our lives. And for that, I am forever grateful.

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I trust Him. He will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly diseases. He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armour and protection. ~ Psalm 91:1-4 (NLT)

We all have an innate desire to be covered. This desire is more spiritual than physical, and it was carefully crafted into us by our Creator. As society drags us along with it’s latest trends that leave very little to the imagination regarding physical coverings, both men and women seem to be wearing less and less. I see this as a desperate cry for help and a physical portrayal of what the world is lacking spiritually… covering. Could there be a greater reminder that as times become darker, our need for spiritual covering is even more urgent? I think not. God designed us to be covered and when He created man, though they were physically naked, they were spiritually covered, having everything they needed to live a life fully in line with God’s will for them. Well, we all know how that story unfolded as sin temporarily took the place of that holy covering, bringing with it, instead, a cloak of shame, regret and separation. Thankfully, God had a plan to have the final say concerning us and yes, His plan involved restoring that covering He initially gifted us. Why is this covering so important? It gives you the freedom to live as fully as God intended when He imagined you in the secret place. Living in the fullness of who you were created to be, sounds pretty important to me.

Accepting the gift of salvation offered to us gets us back into this covered life that God envisioned for us yet this isn’t all there is to it. God has several restorative steps that we ought to passionately pursue if we want to walk fully covered. Before I share my thoughts on what these are, let me unpack what I’ve experienced God’s covering to be. God’s covering is protection, favour beyond our own making, grace beyond our own ability and a deep understanding that we are not random but intimately accounted for by our Creator. God is so intentional and systematic in how He operates and as such, He has presented covering to us in different avenues of our lives. I want to share four that I’ve been reflecting on lately.

Parents.

God places us in families for a reason. Have you ever thought deeply about that? I’ve been reading through the book of Genesis and today I was reading Genesis 46. Jacob and his entire family are going to join Joseph in Egypt in this passage and as it paints the picture of their journey, there is a list of each family member, which wife they were born to Jacob from, and their own children. The last sentence of this verse reads: “All the persons of the house of Jacob who went to Egypt were seventy.” As I read genealogies in the Bible I realise that it’s not so much the correct pronunciation of all the names that matter in the message God is trying to give us, it’s the fact that God values families and within the family structure we are all accounted for. God’s covering offers us the reality that we are not random but intimately accounted for by Our Creator.

God values and uses families to cover us. Yes, biological parents and also substitute parents and parent figures. As an African, this notion that we can have multiple parents isn’t foreign to me. Neighbours, teachers, parents of friends, extended family members and church mamas and papas can all serve as parents as we grow in different spaces. Giving honour to our parents, all different types, is a way God gives us cover. This decision to honour these parents has nothing to do with what they have or haven’t done, it is a posture of our hearts based on God’s sovereign decision to bring us into the world and raise us using these people.

Seeing the parent-child relationship from this angle gives me such a sense of the weight that is bestowed on parents and parent figures. As parents, we must be willing to sacrifice for our children. This decision to cover has to do with prayer, correction, love, protection, provision and seeing them for whom God created them to be. Listening and ministering to our children is so very important. I can’t say this without saying that we ought then, to watch what we say to our children. Let’s use our words to reinforce the covering we have been entrusted to place over them. Let’s prophesy over our children and take the role to cover as seriously as it should be taken. I’ve found that as I cover my children, there is an extra layer of covering that God presents to me. It’s healing and freeing. It’s calling me higher and reassuring me that I have everything I need under His covering.

Relationships.

Plutonic relationships are so important in God’s plan to cover us. If you’re married, this adds another layer to God’s plan to cover you through relationships. If we don’t honour our friends, we miss the covering God has planned for us. Do not take friendship for granted. Good friends, faithful friends, are hard to come by and are blessings from God. More than blessings, these relationships are an ordained covering for your life. Can the friends you have right now cover you?

Your spouse takes this to another level. When God puts two people together, He anoints them to cover one another. God uses this relationship mightily and this is why marriage is under attack and is being twisted, perverted and downgraded. Our enemy knows that when we recognise our spouse as a grand gift from God, we will be covered against his schemes. For my single famous warriors, can the person youre courting cover you?

Are your relationships so determined to keep you in God’s will for your life? Our relationships should offer us a covering that induces healing and growth in our lives. This is what God intended as it is referenced in James James chapter five. Don’t wait until you’re down and out to begin searching for such relationships, cultivate them today!

Spiritual Leaders.

Jeremiah 3:15 reads, “And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.” Knowledge and understanding are a covering from God and He uses leaders to give us that knowledge and understanding. Who are your spiritual leaders? Who are the pastors, mentors, counsellors, older brothers and sisters in the faith whom God is using to teach you?

On the other hand, do people look to you for spiritual things? If yes, I implore you to take that responsibility and influence seriously. It is sacred. Be aware of those God has given you to lead and pray over them. Pray for grace and strength to lead in a way that honours God. Taking your role seriously is also a covering for you from God. Apostle Paul said, “I subdue my body and I enslave it, lest I who have preached to others would be disqualified myself.”

Christ.

I saved the most significant covering for last. Romans 8:34 reminds us of this precious covering as it reads, “Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died, more than that, who was raised to life, is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” Jesus is praying for you! What better covering could you possibly have?! Jesus covered us at the cross and He continues to cover us as He intercedes for us. Even when we face trials of many kinds, our Lord and Saviour covers us as He prays that our faith will not fail. He covers us by working all things out together for our good. He covers us by declaring over us, “It is finished,” “It is yes, and amen,” and “I am for you, not against you.”

God designed everything in our lives to support our alignment with his will and plan for us. He is that intentional. I hope that you’ll lean into His covering and that as you do, you will walk confidently with the deep understanding that He has you covered.