“Let me live forever in your sanctuary, safe beneath the shelter of your wings!” (Psalm 61:4, NLT)
Sometimes a light surprises
The Christian while he sings;
It is the Lord who rises
With healing on His wings”
(Olney Hymns, William Cowper, from Cowper’s Poems)
When I picture angels, I often imagine that they have wings. I’ve seen pictures of the archangel Michael depicted in art. His powerful wings are there to carry him to the spiritual fight on God’s behalf or to offer protection to the suffering servant. Still, I often don’t picture God with wings. On the other hand, there are a number of scriptures speaking of God’s protective wings. I think the wings are more metaphorical or allegorical than actual, because God is no mere angel. Then again, the picture of the protective wings of God’s angels wrapped around the frightened child does bring a warm comfort to my soul.
You might think that feathers that form the structure of wings would not be much comfort or protection. I’ve seen feathers lying around under trees that have fallen off the wings of birds above. Though the feathers help a bird to fly, I often don’t picture them as offering too much shelter. But when it comes to a bird’s feathers being flimsy, there is more to them than meets the eye.
“Bird feathers are an amazing example of God’s design. Feathers have a smooth part and a fluffy part. The smooth part of the feather has stiff barbs with tiny hooks that lock together like the prongs of a zipper. The fluffy part keeps a bird warm. Together both parts of the feather protect the bird from wind and rain. But many baby birds are covered in a fluffy down and their feathers haven’t fully developed. So a mother bird has to cover them in the nest with her own feathers to protect them from wind and rain.
The image of God “[covering] us with his feathers” in Psalm 91:4 and in other Bible passages (see Ps. 17:8) is one of comfort and protection. The image that comes to mind is a mother bird covering her little ones with her feathers. Like a parent whose arms are a safe place to retreat from a scary storm or a hurt, God’s comforting presence provides safety and protection from life’s emotional storms.” (Linda Washington, “Our Daily Bread”, August 15).
Today’s scripture also mentions God’s protective wings. In Psalm 61, David (the author) hungers for the security found in the “shelter of God’s wings” (Psalm 61:4). When David wrote this psalm, he must have been far from home. Early in the psalm, David wrote that he was calling to God “from the ends of the earth” (Psalm 61:2). Because David calls God a “rock” and “refuge” in this psalm, David is surely seeking the protection and security God gives. When life becomes unsafe, when your world is shaken, when pressures and stresses threaten to break you, when you are all alone, God’s strength and protection are wonderful comforts.
Lorrie Anderson, missionary to the head-shrinking Candoshi Shapra Indians of Peru, was looking for a quiet place for her daily time of Bible reading and prayer, so she went down by the edge of the river. After reading the Bible, she took up her prayer list. Eyes closed, she did not see the deadly anaconda weaving through the water until it struck, burying its fangs into her flesh. It withdrew to strike, hitting her arm again and again as it held her, screaming, in its coils. It reared up for the death blows. Then suddenly the giant snake, never known to release its prey, relaxed its grip and slithered off through the water. While Lorrie was being treated, a witch doctor from a nearby village burst into the hut and stared at her. She couldn’t believe Lorrie had survived. She said her son-in-law, also a witch doctor, had chanted to the spirit of the anaconda that morning and sent it to kill the young missionary. “I’m certain,” Lorrie said, “that except for the protection of God, it would have worked.” (from 10,000 Sermon Illustrations)
You might feel safe and secure at this moment. But, there are times we all feel unsafe or unsure. In uncertain times, it is wise to trust in the protection of God. Missionaries like Lorrie Anderson are on the “front lines”, so to speak. They face dangers you might never face. They need God’s protection. They know well to call upon it.
In an appeal asking people to remember missionaries in foreign lands, there was included suggestions for prayer. Notice how many times the words “protect” or “protection” are used when the author asks people to pray for missionaries…
Pray for:
1. Protection from Satan’s attacks on their faith and calling, tempting them to quit and go home.
2. God protect their marriages and families. Protect them from doing so much work that they neglect their families.
3. Protect them from getting so busy doing things for God that they forget to sit and listen to Him.
4. They could forget to find unhurried time for Bible meditation and prayer.
5. Protect them from losing their spirit of worship, love and devotion to you, Lord.
6. Protect them from divisiveness, criticism and crankiness with each other.
7. Protect their unity in Christ, their love for each other, their commitment to each other.
8. Protect their willingness to serve one another, and to esteem their sisters and brothers better than themselves.
9. Protect them from conflicts with local believers and national church leaders.
10. Protect them from squabbling over budgets and properties.
11. Protect them from misinterpreting each other’s motives.
12. Protection from even hinting that the way we do it in America is best.
13. Protection from using their control of money to get their own way.
14. Unity in Christ among missionaries and believers is so important because unbelievers watch them. So they can see and grasp the good news that God loves them so much that He sent Jesus to this world.
15. Protection from defection for their souls, not their bodies.
16. Our primary concern should be for our missionaries perseverance in faith.
( Protection From What? by Jim Reapsome)
Do you know someone who needs a little more of God’s protection today? Are you in need of God’s comforting wings? God’s strength is there for you. All you need to do is ask for it…
The Christian while he sings;
It is the Lord who rises
With healing on His wings”
(Olney Hymns, William Cowper, from Cowper’s Poems)
When I picture angels, I often imagine that they have wings. I’ve seen pictures of the archangel Michael depicted in art. His powerful wings are there to carry him to the spiritual fight on God’s behalf or to offer protection to the suffering servant. Still, I often don’t picture God with wings. On the other hand, there are a number of scriptures speaking of God’s protective wings. I think the wings are more metaphorical or allegorical than actual, because God is no mere angel. Then again, the picture of the protective wings of God’s angels wrapped around the frightened child does bring a warm comfort to my soul.
You might think that feathers that form the structure of wings would not be much comfort or protection. I’ve seen feathers lying around under trees that have fallen off the wings of birds above. Though the feathers help a bird to fly, I often don’t picture them as offering too much shelter. But when it comes to a bird’s feathers being flimsy, there is more to them than meets the eye.
“Bird feathers are an amazing example of God’s design. Feathers have a smooth part and a fluffy part. The smooth part of the feather has stiff barbs with tiny hooks that lock together like the prongs of a zipper. The fluffy part keeps a bird warm. Together both parts of the feather protect the bird from wind and rain. But many baby birds are covered in a fluffy down and their feathers haven’t fully developed. So a mother bird has to cover them in the nest with her own feathers to protect them from wind and rain.
The image of God “[covering] us with his feathers” in Psalm 91:4 and in other Bible passages (see Ps. 17:8) is one of comfort and protection. The image that comes to mind is a mother bird covering her little ones with her feathers. Like a parent whose arms are a safe place to retreat from a scary storm or a hurt, God’s comforting presence provides safety and protection from life’s emotional storms.” (Linda Washington, “Our Daily Bread”, August 15).
Today’s scripture also mentions God’s protective wings. In Psalm 61, David (the author) hungers for the security found in the “shelter of God’s wings” (Psalm 61:4). When David wrote this psalm, he must have been far from home. Early in the psalm, David wrote that he was calling to God “from the ends of the earth” (Psalm 61:2). Because David calls God a “rock” and “refuge” in this psalm, David is surely seeking the protection and security God gives. When life becomes unsafe, when your world is shaken, when pressures and stresses threaten to break you, when you are all alone, God’s strength and protection are wonderful comforts.
Lorrie Anderson, missionary to the head-shrinking Candoshi Shapra Indians of Peru, was looking for a quiet place for her daily time of Bible reading and prayer, so she went down by the edge of the river. After reading the Bible, she took up her prayer list. Eyes closed, she did not see the deadly anaconda weaving through the water until it struck, burying its fangs into her flesh. It withdrew to strike, hitting her arm again and again as it held her, screaming, in its coils. It reared up for the death blows. Then suddenly the giant snake, never known to release its prey, relaxed its grip and slithered off through the water. While Lorrie was being treated, a witch doctor from a nearby village burst into the hut and stared at her. She couldn’t believe Lorrie had survived. She said her son-in-law, also a witch doctor, had chanted to the spirit of the anaconda that morning and sent it to kill the young missionary. “I’m certain,” Lorrie said, “that except for the protection of God, it would have worked.” (from 10,000 Sermon Illustrations)
You might feel safe and secure at this moment. But, there are times we all feel unsafe or unsure. In uncertain times, it is wise to trust in the protection of God. Missionaries like Lorrie Anderson are on the “front lines”, so to speak. They face dangers you might never face. They need God’s protection. They know well to call upon it.
In an appeal asking people to remember missionaries in foreign lands, there was included suggestions for prayer. Notice how many times the words “protect” or “protection” are used when the author asks people to pray for missionaries…
Pray for:
1. Protection from Satan’s attacks on their faith and calling, tempting them to quit and go home.
2. God protect their marriages and families. Protect them from doing so much work that they neglect their families.
3. Protect them from getting so busy doing things for God that they forget to sit and listen to Him.
4. They could forget to find unhurried time for Bible meditation and prayer.
5. Protect them from losing their spirit of worship, love and devotion to you, Lord.
6. Protect them from divisiveness, criticism and crankiness with each other.
7. Protect their unity in Christ, their love for each other, their commitment to each other.
8. Protect their willingness to serve one another, and to esteem their sisters and brothers better than themselves.
9. Protect them from conflicts with local believers and national church leaders.
10. Protect them from squabbling over budgets and properties.
11. Protect them from misinterpreting each other’s motives.
12. Protection from even hinting that the way we do it in America is best.
13. Protection from using their control of money to get their own way.
14. Unity in Christ among missionaries and believers is so important because unbelievers watch them. So they can see and grasp the good news that God loves them so much that He sent Jesus to this world.
15. Protection from defection for their souls, not their bodies.
16. Our primary concern should be for our missionaries perseverance in faith.
( Protection From What? by Jim Reapsome)
Do you know someone who needs a little more of God’s protection today? Are you in need of God’s comforting wings? God’s strength is there for you. All you need to do is ask for it…