Resting In the Shadow of the Almighty*
There is safety in the shelter of His wings.
Revised and re-posted.
1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.
3 For he will rescue you from every trap
and protect you from deadly disease.
4 He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
Psalm 91:1–4 (NLT)
God communicates to us about himself by painting images in which we see who he is and what he is like. One of my favorite images of God, which is repeated over and over in the Scriptures, is of a mother bird who gathers her chicks under her wings to shield them from danger. They are safe if they stay in the shadow of her wings.
God is inviting us into the protection of his care for us.
In the following two passages, notice how God protects those who take refuge in the shadow of his wings because of His steadfast love. His love for his children is unwavering.
7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 8 They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. 9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light. Psalm 36:7–9 (ESV)
1 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. 2 I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. 3 He will send from heaven and save me; he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness! Psalm 57:1–3 (ESV)
Jesus also uses the image of a hen gathering her chicks as he lamented that Jerusalem, representing God’s people, had refused to respond positively when God reached out to them.
34 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.
Luke 13:34 (NLT)
I pray that you are resting in the protective shadow of the Almighty this weekend - that you have experienced the steadfast love of God.
He wants to gather you beneath his wings. But he only does that if you are willing to be gathered.
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How easy to to forget His loving kindness for those who seek Him, those He calls his own. What mercy and grace as He continues to invite to His table those who reject Him.