He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. Psalm 91:1-4.
Holy Father, I come to You this day, believing firmly that there is no safer place to be than under Your wings. May I dwell there gladly, until I see You face to face. This is my desire in the name of God, my Savior. Amen.
When we think about wings, I believe the first aspect that would most likely come to our minds would be that of swiftness; followed perhaps by endurance, and then maybe, fragility; not usually strength. Depending of course, on how interested we are in birds, there could be other considerations.
Today, in our devotional we will be looking at the protection that is to be found under the wings of God! I am fascinated that the Great, and All Powerful God would, with some frequency, refer to His protection as being provided by His wings, when to most of us wings seem so fragile!
I have identified at least ten of these references; one made by Jesus the Son, who came to give us a glimpse of the true face of God, ” ‘ “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. . .” ‘ ” (Matthew 23:37).
Some of these references are made by God Himself, some are made by others in reference to God. An example of this is Boaz, when he was speaking to Ruth, who would eventually become his wife: ” ‘ “. . . The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge” ‘ “(Ruth 2:12).
You will notice that in both instances protection is implied. It is in times of eminent danger that a mother hen will swiftly open her wings and cover her little ones, fully aware or not, of the fact that she most likely will suffer the fate that threatens them. A perfect example of what Jesus did on Calvary’s cross when He opened His arms and offered Himself on our behalf!
When Ruth refused to leave her mother in law, but instead decided to follow her not knowing where the journey would take her, she took a leap of faith and was generously rewarded when the God, whose wings she took for refuge, included her in His genealogy! When we decide to leave all, by giving God first place in our lives, and take refuge in Him, we also become a part of the family of God!
The truth be told my friends, no one who has ever sought refuge beneath the wings of God and stayed there, have had any reason to regret their decision. Does that mean that they will lie on a bed of roses? Not necessarily so. But listen to what Jesus promises:
“So Jesus answered and said, ‘ “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life” ‘ ” (Mark 10:29, 30).
Have you taken refuge under God’s wings?
We will continue this conversation.
NOTE: I have been travelling, and am not up to date in posting the devotionals. By God’s grace I will do my best to get caught up. Blessings!