Under His Wings I Shall Trust

Posted on 07/26/2015 by goodnewsfromadistantland — Leave a comment

Psalms 91 is a wonderful psalm because it tells us the benefits of taking refuge under the shadow of the Almighty. It is a Psalm that many memorize and cling to, in the midst of trials and troubles.

As children of the Most High, we earnestly seek to dwell in Father’s shelter, abiding under His shadow (Psalms 91:1). In verse four of Psalms 91, we read that Yahuwah [the Hebrew name for the LORD] covers His children with His feathers:

He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall trust: His truth shall be your shield and buckler (Psalms 91:4).

It has always intrigued me to think of our heavenly Father as having wings. His wings would be enormous!

Each One Had Six Wings

There are several references to wings in the Bible. One of the wondrous references to wings is the description of Yahuwah’s heavenly throne, by the prophet Isaiah:

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is Yahuwah [the LORD] of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory (Isaiah 6:1-3).

These seraphims, the winged-creatures that surround the throne, give glory and honour to Yahuwah, day and night (Revelation 4:8). What an awesome sight it must be! The Father chose wings for the mobility of these creatures, which seems to add to the wonder and majesty of the heavenly setting.

swanwings Here in the earthly realm, I believe one of God’s favorite animals must be winged-birds. Why is that? Because there are so many of them!!

There are approximately 29 different groupings of birds, and within each group there are many different varities of species. And then among the many, many individual species, there can be thousands to millions! of each kind of bird!

The Shadow of Your Wings

In the natural, wings and their feathers seem quite fragile, delicate, and complex. Yet they are very effective for protection — protection from severe elements, as well as from predators. The most common use of feathers and wings as protection are the hiding and shielding of young chicks. Perhaps this is why there are several verses in the Psalms that encourage us to hide under the shadow of Yahuwah’s wings for His protection:

Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of Your wings (Psalms 17:8).

How excellent is Your lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings (Psalms 36:7).

Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusts in You: yea, in the shadow of Your wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast (Psalms 57:1).

I will abide in Your tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of Your wings (Psalms 61:4).

Because You hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings will I rejoice (Psalms 63:7).

The illustration of hiding under Yahuwah’s wings is a natural example of the protection that Father eagerly offers us. As these verses from the Psalms teach us, Yahuwah’s children are to run to Him for shelter, in the same way baby birds run to their parents for protection.

When iniquity is abounding and multitudes are praising what is evil, when we are being ridiculed, harassed, and oppressed for our faith, then the children of Yahuwah seek refuge in the secret, hidden place of the Most High! We run for the protection of Father’s sheltering wings, to be hidden from the wickedness of the wicked! (see Psalms 12; 2Timothy 3:1-5)

But we find more than just protection when we seek His sheltering wings!

There I Will Meet With You

When we humble ourselves to seek Father’s guidance and wisdom, we are in essence, seeking the safety of His wings.

When we seek to draw near to Father, so that we can hear His voice (James 4:8);
when we enter our closet, shut the door, and pray to the heavenly Father (Matthew 6:6);
when we diligently seek God’s Word, for guidance and understanding (Psalms 119:11),

then we are hoping to learn His direction for us, and hoping to find the covering protection Father offers His children. It is then that we find the place of meeting with Him.

Yahuwah gave us this illustration centuries ago, through Moses:

And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. And you shall put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you.
And there I will meet with you, and I will commune with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give you in commandment unto the children of Israel (Exodus 25:20-22).

The famous wings here in this passage, are the wings of the cherubims, on the two ends of the mercy seat. It is there, under the spreading wings of the cherubims, atop the mercy seat, that Father said, “I will meet with you!” This protective shadow is the place of His mercy!

As we can see in all these verses, it is under Father’s wings where we find His presence — His guidance, protection, and His mercy. For it is under His wings where we find the mercy seat! What lovingkindness! What security!

And now, through the atoning ministry of our high priest, Yahushua Messiah [the Hebrew name for Jesus Christ], we are encouraged to come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need! (Hebrews 4:16). Father is urging us to come to Him to obtain mercy – come to His throne, His mercy seat, which is under the covering shadow of His wings. For those who will persistently pray, seeking His guidance and protection, Yahuwah assures us that we will obtain His mercy and grace!

Yet there is even more!

The Testimony

The hidden abundance of Yahuwah’s great mercy is uncovered even further when we discover what is under the mercy seat:

And you shall put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you (Exodus 25:21).

As this verse show us, within Yahuwah’s great mercy, what do we find inside the ark? We find His testimony, which is His witness, His covenant with His people, His Torah. It is within His Torah that Father reveals the details of how He desires to secure our comfort, our guidance, and our protection:

Unless Your Torah had been my delights, I should then have perished in my affliction (Psalms 119:92).

Great peace have they which love Your Torah: and nothing shall offend them (Psalms 119:165).

The Torah of Yahuwah [the LORD] is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of Yahuwah [the LORD] is sure (faithful; steadfast), making wise the simple (Psalms 19:7).

These verses, as well as many others, reveal the mercy of Yahuwah towards those who delight in, and love, His Torah. It is in His perfect, completely truth-FULL Torah, that Father reveals His ways — His teachings, instructions, and guidelines for His children.

When we are delighting in [obeying] Father’s Torah, we find His tender mercies are multiplied over and over. By His great grace, it is our willing and cheerful obedience to Torah that is the key to remaining under the sheltering wings of His protection (see Deuteronomy 28:1-14).

Through the testimony of Yahushua Messiah [Jesus Christ], who speaks the Words of God, and also through His precious blood, that we now have access to the throne of grace! It is there (the mercy seat/the throne of grace) where we will meet with our great High Priest, Yahushua Messiah, who understands our concerns, our weaknesses, and our fears. It is there, under His protective shadow, that we learn that His ways are the foundation of His mercy!

Learning His ways is key to our protection!

By Them is Thy Servant Warned

Learning His ways offers protection and great reward:

Moreover by them is Your servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward (Psalms 19:11).

As this verse teaches us, Father uses ‘them’ to warn us. But what does ‘them’ refer to in this verse?

‘Them’ refers to what is described in the previous verses of Psalms 19, verses 7-9:

the Torah of Yahuwah (verse 7)
the testimony of Yahuwah (verse 7)
the statutes of Yahuwah (verse 8)
the commandments of Yahuwah (verse 8)
the fear of Yahuwah (verse 9)
the judgments of Yahuwah (verse 9)

Father intends for us to learn, keep, obey, and delight in ‘them‘ — His commandments, statutes, testimonies, fear, and judgments — for this is how we learn His Ways, and this is how Father warns His children of danger.

AND this is how Father gathers His children under His wings — so that He can protect His children, and so that they can abide within His abundant mercy!

It is when we keep [obey] the TRUTH of His Word (which is true ‘from the beginning’), that we find the shielding protection of His mercy and love, just as He told us in Psalms 91, verse 4: His truth [the doing of His Truth] shall be my shield and buckler!

Thank You Father, for Your great love and mercy for Your children! Thank You for Your amazing Word that leads us into the shelter of Your wings! We ask You to help us, and enable us by your grace, to draw near to You, daily seeking Your direction. Help us to be obedient to Your Word, to delight in Your Word, and to heed the warnings of Your Word. In Your Son’s name, Yahushua Messiah, we pray. Amen.

Psalms 91 is a very fitting Psalm for answering the concerns of Father’s children. Let us consider memorizing it, making it personal, by proclaiming out loud: