He
will cover you with His feathers, and
under
his wings you will find refuge…
Psalm 91:4a
Often called the Soldiers’ Psalm, it has
been recited throughout battlefields across the globe providing hope and
comfort to thousands. It also provides hope for daily living. Danger comes in many
shapes and sizes and at various times throughout life. Psalm 91 covers all
circumstances because God continues to protect His children.
I have long been fascinated with verse
four and the picture of God hiding me under His wings. Like many of you, I have
watched a mother duck pull her ducklings close to her breast and tuck them
safely under her wings. While I understood the metaphor of God pulling us close
and keeping us safe, only after I comprehended the fuller meaning of the Hebrew
word for wings did I begin to draw upon this Psalm for daily living.
The Hebrew word kanap, translated in verse
four as wings, also means corner, hem (of a garment). Upon reading that
definition, I got it! I am like a small child who runs to mother, grabs mother’s
legs and hides my head under the hem of mother’s dress tail thinking no one can
see me, because I cannot see them. I feel safe! I am safe, for there is nothing
a mother will not do to protect her child.
Like a mother protecting her child, our
Heavenly Father protects His children. If I make the Most High my dwelling,
then no harm can come to me. No threat can overpower my God. No peril can be
greater than my God. No one can outsmart my God. No day becomes so dark that my
God cannot provide light for the way; no heartache so great that my God cannot
speak peace to my troubled soul. My protection remains in Him alone.
Therefore, when I need wisdom I will ask
God. When I am afraid, I will trust God. When my world grows dark and I cannot
seem to find my way, I will look to God. When my heart hurts and I think I
cannot bear the pain, I will remember that I, like a small child, am tucked
under the hem of His garment safe and secure under His wings.
JP 2013
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