Under His Wings is an instant reminder of the safety we have in God. Growing up on a farm gave me many opportunities to see the natural instinct that God gave His creation to protect itself. When a hen has baby chicks, she spreads her wings to cover her chicks when danger is present. Under her wings, it was safe. Bears find hidden dens to have their cubs; the cat family will often move their babies to keep predators from finding their young; and birds with babies will fake a broken wing to draw predators away from their young. God has built within these animals a way to protect their own. He desires that we find shelter in Him. We are made in His image, and He desires to take care of us.
I grew up in North Alabama. It is an area that is known for tornadoes. When I was a child, springtime was when these violent storms most often erupted. To say it was scary is an understatement. Storm houses dug out into the earth were a common means of protection during these storms. Someone in our home, usually my dad, would stay up at night to pay attention to the weather. At a moment’s notice, we would climb out of bed to head to the shelter. We would then be safe under the concrete, on top of the dirt. While everything on the outside would be swirling and crashing, we were safe because of what we were under. A picture being under something for safety is used in Psalms 91:4. The author uses this analogy to convince us of the shelter and safety that God gives.“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and buckler.”
We will all have storms in our lives. Sometimes they are relentless, and our immediate reaction is often to look for somewhere, something, or someone to run to. We look for safety in our plans, our strength, or our circumstances. Yet, Scripture repeatedly points us back to God for absolute safety and tenderness where we can be sheltered under His wings.
Being under His wings will place us close to Him. He is not a far-off fortress; He is as near as we want Him to be. Under His wings is a place of closeness, quietness, and rest. When we cultivate a relationship with Him, we will find Him to be a canopy of intimacy that will quiet our anxious minds when our hearts are heavy with the chaos of this world. It can be a multitude of problems that shake our world, but if we stay close to His presence, it will become our immediate sanctuary. He wants us to draw near to Him by prayer, study, and the promise that He loves us and will never leave us.
Hebrews 13:5-6 “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”
As we looked at how animals protect their own, notice that they are always out front bearing the brunt of an attack. Jesus did that for us. On the cross, Jesus endured the ultimate storm of sin and death so that we could find safe passage into eternal life. In our day-to-day lives, when life feels overwhelming, God stands as our protector. He shields our hearts from despair and promises that no trial will ever separate us from His love. Paul assures us of this truth in Romans 8:38-39.
Romans 8:38-39 “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Psalm 91 reminds us that His faithfulness is our shield. Our safety isn’t based on how strong our faith feels on a given day; it is based on the Savior’s faithfulness. Even when our surroundings feel uncertain or unstable, the shelter of His wings remains steadfast. Note: no outside force can interrupt our relationship, but when we pull ourselves out from under His wings through disobedience, we are inviting storms into our lives. He will chastise us when we wander away from Him.
God wants us to completely trust Him. When trouble or stress arises, we must seek refuge in Him rather than in our own strategies. We must let go of the need to fix everything and rest in His care. We must trust His timeline. So much of the time, we say we have given a situation to Him, but when answers do not come when we thought they should, we try to fix it ourselves.
What burden do you need to let go of today? He wants to be our refuge and our strength. This is not only for times of storms, but every day, all day. We should never try to face the day without first spending time with Him. This will help us to trust His faithfulness, rather than our own strength.
Take time today to read Psalm 91. It is my go-to Psalm when I need reassurance, peace, comfort, or just need to pull up closer to Him. It encourages an intimacy with the One who knows me better than I know myself.
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