by Pastor Doc Adkins
“He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust…” Psalm 91:4
Psalm 91 has always been one of my refuge passages. Do you have any of those? You know, those places in Scripture where we run when we need to feel loved and protected? I love the illustration of the hen covering it’s chicks with it’s feathers in verse 4 of that chapter.
When I lived with my grandparents we had chickens and I used to love to watch the little chicks run after the bigger chickens. In a small way it was always a good sign of Spring. Sometimes though the coolest thing would happen, if the cool winds were blowing or they felt threatened, they’d be all hidden under the hen’s wings. It was always hard for me to believe that those chicks were really under there. The hens were keeping those chicks safe and warm under all those feathers.
I’m so glad the Lord keeps us under His wings. It’s a wonderful place to be.
- There is Closeness Under His Wings.
I sure do love that I can keep close to my Lord under His wings. Of course it is a choice we make as to how close to the Lord we want to be. We have to make the effort to spend time in His Word and in prayer. We can’t go running off or we are going to miss the benefits of those wonderful wings.My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me. Psalm 63:8
- There is Protection Under His Wings.
Being under God’s wings provides such a picture of His protection to us. When David was having such difficulties in his life, where did he go? Straight to pour his heart out to the Lord. Here he was being chased by Saul who intended on killing David. He was scared and needed to find his refuge in God.Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. Psalm 57:1
- There is Comfort Under His Wings.
When a hen gathers her chicks under her wings when it is storming or there is something that has scared the chicks, they will eventually all calm down under those wings. Being under there comforts and settles those chicks when life gets scary for them.Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. 2 Corinthians 1:3,4
Even as adults we go through times when something scares us, we deal with sorrow, or we even still get those emotional boo-boos that we want to be comforted about. We need to get up there closer under the Lord’s wings and let Him comfort us. There’s ways He’ll gently talk to us.
Ever had your mom or someone who loved you say to you. “It’s okay”, “It’s alright”, “Tell me about it”, “Well, why don’t you sleep on it”, or even “Things will look better in the morning”. If we look in His Word, it’s full of tidbits of comfort for us.
- There is Trust Under His Wings.
We know that under the Lord’s wings we are able to trust Him. He’s not going to fail us. He might not always provide and protect in the way that we’d choose but He has our best interests at heart.Have you read through the book of Ruth and looked at her life? She lost her husband and ended up going to a land she wasn’t familiar with. It wasn’t easy for her, but the Lord had a unique way of taking care of her, and Ruth trusted Him. Boaz, who Ruth ends up marrying, recognized her trust in the Lord in Ruth chapter 2.
And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust. Ruth 2:11,12
- There is Satisfaction Under His Wings.
A good parent longs to satisfy the needs of their children, whether it be for food, clothing, health, or what have you. Being under God’s wings satisfies us. He not only satisfies our physical needs but also our spiritual needs. He satisfies our very souls.How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. Psalm 36:7,8
- There is Rejoicing Under His Wings.
Ever notice we are happier when we are walking in tune with the Lord? When we are resting right up there under His wings, we get our joy revitalized.Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. Psalm 63: 7
Conclusion: that picture of a hen loving and protecting its chicks under its wings is such a powerful example. All those things we find under those wings are things we should strive to give one another as God’s family. There’s closeness, protection, comfort, trust, love, satisfaction, and rejoicing.
I’m so glad that I have a God who cares so much about me that He keeps me up Under His Wings. I know there are times that I get like David running from Saul and need to go sliding under those feathers and into that safe place. And boy sometimes I feel like I just get too many spiritual boo-boos to count and I long for that comfort that only God can give. There’s been times when I’ve been so sad that I can’t even speak to the Lord when I get up under there but I know He understands and He makes me feel better.
I love benefiting from all those things I find when I get up under those wings. All those things I find there only makes me stronger so that I can grow in the Lord..
So, what are you finding Under His Wings?