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Wings of Refuge

Wings are a popular food item these days. There are even restaurants where wings are the featured menu item.  Or, if you prefer to cook your own, one cooking web site has 23 best recipes for wings.  And if that isn’t enough, another site has 30.  But neither come close to one web site that has 160 ways to cook them!

As one allergic to chicken, I can’t say that I get excited about any of that.  But, I can say that I do get excited about God’s wings!  Ok, so God probably doesn’t really have wings but He does describe how He cares for us using some word pictures that involve wings.  For example:

“He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.”  (Ps 91:4)

Birds take their vulnerable hatchlings under their wings to shelter and protect them.  Being under God’s wings is a picture of God providing protective refuge, shelter and defense for us.  Then there’s this verse:

“How precious is your steadfast love, O God!  The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.”  (Ps. 36:7)

When we take refuge in the shadow of His wings, we are protected from the elements.  But it’s not something that we always naturally do.  This next verse indicates that God sometimes takes the initiative for our sake and for our benefit:

“You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself.” (Ex 19:4)

Adult eagles fly beneath their fledgling eagles to assist them in flight.  By flying beneath them, the fledglings might, if necessary, settle on the wings or on the back of the adult eagle.  In a similar way, God bears us up when we stumble or fall.  But sometimes just stumbling and falling are the least of our worries if we are faced with total destruction as the Psalmist was:

“Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.”  (Ps. 57:1)

Whether we need protection, refuge, defense or help when we stumble or even if we face destruction, being in the shadow of his wings is really the best place to be!

 

 

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