UNDER HIS WINGS!
Psalm 91:4-8
Introduction: Let me
read a story a father told about how true Psalm 91:4 was in his son’s life. “Psalm
91:4, reads, “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings, you
will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your SHIELD and rampart.” The truth
of the promise contained in this verse was dramatically illustrated to me when
God became a shield on behalf of my son, who was involved in the invasion of
Iraq in March of 2003. At “Ambush Alley” near Nasiriyah his unit came under
small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades.
Two
Amtracs were destroyed, and the Amtrac my son was driving would have been
destroyed but for the grace of God. Just moments before the enemy directed an
RPG at my son’s Amtrac, one of his fellow marines “accidentally” shot down a
telephone pole. That fallen telephone pole became a shield which deflected the
incoming RPG. During this battle other RPGs either completely missed or did not
explode.
God
was true to his word and true to his promise, as spoken in Psalm 91:4. He
provided my son with a shield just in time. And on top of that (as a matter of
helping him and me remember the source of our blessing) he custom designed this
shield to be in the shape of the cross on which his son died for our sins — what
a powerful story of God’s protection.
We
have been exploring Psalm 91, God’s Shield of protection. So far, we have seen
God as our refuge and shelter we are to run to Him and be safe in times of
trouble. And also, He has the power to rescue us from the traps of the enemy
and keep us from deadly diseases. Today
we will look at other aspects of God’s comfort, protection, and faithfulness
for His children. Let’s explore what does Under His wings mean, and what it is
like to come under God’s protection.
I.
UNDER HIS WINGS!
Vs.
4, “He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His
faithful promises are your armor and protection.” “He will cover you with His pinions,
And
under His wings, you may seek refuge; His
faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.” NASB
When the enemy is shooting at us, we will run instead
to a bunker than seeking protection under “ His wings” right? For many, finding
shelter under his wings seems lame and strange. However, the OT people sought
after and found refuge Under His Wings.
In
this verse, under his wings does not mean that God has enormous wings by which
he will cover his people. The Psalmist uses an obvious analogy of a mother hen
protecting its baby chicks. The chicks are very familiar with various clucking
sounds of the mother hen. In John
Bunyan’s Pilgrim's Progress, the interpreter explains to the women the
four-fold vocal pattern a mother hen uses to communicate with her chicks. 1 A
typical call she uses throughout the day. 2. A special call which she only uses
once in a while. 3. She has a brooding note. 4. She gives an outcry when she
senses danger and trouble from the predators.
With
that outcry, she stretches her wings and be ready to receive the little ones
that would run to her for protection. Similarly, the interpreter notes, “The
King himself has methods which he uses to call his people. By his simple call,
he gives nothing, and by his special call, he always has something to
offer. He also has a brooding voice he
uses for those who are under his wing and an outcry, which he sounds the alarm when
the enemy is approaching.[1]
The
first part of verse four talks about the power of God’s protection, but is
everyone protected under His wings? No! Let’s read it from NASB, “He will cover
you with His pinions, and under His wings, you may seek refuge; His
faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.” NASB
Though
his protection and covering are available to all of his children; again, it is
up to us to make that decision to seek refuge under his wings. Growing up, I
observed how a mother hen protects its chicks from the predators. Whenever she sensed
rain or a dog or a cat was after her chicks, she would send out panicky clucking
noises; then she would squat and open her wings widely for the chicks to run to
her. Once all the chicks are in, she closes her wings tightly.
The
verse, “He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings, you may seek refuge” means, under His
wings, we may seek shelter, but we have to run to Him. That one little word “may” is a strong word. God doesn’t force
us to seek refuge in Him. All that mother hen did was to cluck and to stretch
her wings to show where the chicks were to come.
In
the scriptures, we see this maternal hovering of God’s protection. Isaiah
31:5-6, “The Lord of Heaven’s Armies will hover over Jerusalem and protect it
like a bird protecting its nest. He will defend and save the city; he will pass
over it and rescue it.” Matthew 23:37, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem…. 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.”
Notice
the contrast between God’s willingness to protect and our unwillingness to come
under his protection. In Psalm 91, the Psalmist uses this analogy of a mother
hen, to show us that God offers protection, but we don’t accept it to our
peril. It is interesting that Jesus uses the correlation of maternal love to
demonstrate His affection and attachment to us.
We
know how fierce and passionate can be when it comes to protecting their
children. More than our earthly mothers, God loves us intensely and is deeply
committed to protecting us. At the same time, we can reject His outstretched
arms if we so choose to and fall out of His protection. God does not run here
and there, trying to cover us, all he would do is to stretch his hands toward
us all day long and say these comforting and assuring words:
“Call
upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me."
Psalms 50:15. “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens,
and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 When fear strikes your heart, by faith
run to him, and you will be safe and secure under his wings. What is the basis
of God’s protection?
II.
A MIGHTY FORTRESS IS OUR GOD
The latter part of verse four talks
about God’s faithfulness. Vs. 4, “His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.”
The foundation for his protection is neither our faithfulness nor willingness,
though they play a small part it is because of God’s faithfulness we are
protected. When the enemy comes to you
and whispers fearful or condemning thoughts in your mind, you can ward off his
attack by saying, I know my God is faithful and his faithfulness is my shield
and bulwark.
God
knows how weak and prone we are to fall into temptations and sin. That is why
he gave his Son. We can no more earn or
deserve his protection than we can earn or deserve our salvation. Thankfully,
it is God’s faithfulness, not ours, that is our shield. 2 Timothy 2:13, “If we
are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.”
If you have been following Christ for quite
some time, you can attest to this fact, that it is tough to live out our
Christian faith in this time and age. There are so many ways our enemy tries to
make us fall. We often stumble and fall in many ways. It is OK to fall, but the
worst thing you can do after you fall spiritually is failing to get up.
Proverbs 24:16, “The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But
one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.”
The
key is when we fall, we don’t remain in that pit; we get up, we repent and get
back under his shield of protection. In Psalm 91:4 The, Psalmist in our verse employs
two military metaphors, a shield, and a bulwark. Let me explain how these two
military metaphors work in the life of a believer. In the OT, the kings,
captains, and champions would have armor bearers. For example, King Saul, Goliath, and Jonathan all had armor bearers.
They carried the large shield and perhaps other weapons into battle and also be
there to aid and protect them from harm. With
that background, when we say His faithfulness is a shield, we are picturing in
our minds a large shield out in front of us protecting us. That shield is God
Himself.
When
God goes before us as our shield, can any enemy stand on his path? Perhaps this
what Paul had in his mind when he said, “If God is for us, who can ever be
against us? Romans 8:31. When God is on our side and is fighting our battles,
we will always come out as victors, so together with Paul, we say, “No, despite
all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.”
Romans 8:39
What
about a bulwark of His faithfulness? According to Nelson’s Bible Dictionary, “a
bulwark is a tower built along a city wall from which defenders shot arrows and
hurl large stones at the enemy.”[2] God’s faithfulness is not
only a shield but also a strong tower. From that tower, God is faithful to not
only point out but so help us strike the enemy who might be trying to sneak up
on us. Webster’s dictionary defines bulwark as, “an earthwork or defensive
wall, fortified rampart; a breakwater; the part of a ship's side above the deck
that prevents crew and passengers from falling or being washed overboard.
Wings,
a shield, and a bulwark, what comforting and reassuring metaphors these are?
Are you facing trouble? Are you afraid of something? Is your mind plagued with
doubt, condemnation, and a sense of worthlessness? Don’t panic, run to God, and
find shelter under His Wings. Remember that in our life's many battles, God
will go before us. His faithfulness becomes our shield and bulwark.
In
closing; listen to the cry for help of King David, who was hailed for his
victories. Psalm 60:11-12, “Oh, please help us against our enemies, for all
human help is useless. With God’s help, we will do mighty things, for he will
trample down our foes.” O
God, listen to my cry! Hear my prayer! From
the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead
me to the towering rock of safety, for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where
my enemies cannot reach me.” When you are troubled, to who do you cry out? Do you come under his wings? Is God your
shield and bulwark? Amen!
[1] Pilgrim’s
progress Kindle Version Page 219
[2] Ronald Youngblood, ed., Nelson’s
New Illustrated Bible Dictionary, page 231
