Under His Wings

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“Shew thy marvelous lovingkindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee from those that rise up against them.  Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings, from the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who compass me about.”  Psalm 17:7-9

A friend of mine was telling me about her chickens.  She lives in a rural area, enjoying a lovely garden and fresh eggs.  Her chickens delight in ranging their property, but at night, my friend gathers them into their pen.  One night not long ago, the chickens were very resistant to being penned up.  After a time, my friend gave up the fight, and left them to themselves.  The unfortunate consequence was the loss of two of the hens.  The rest went missing for a couple of days, hiding in fear for their lives.

There are times we want to gather what’s precious to us, our children, and protect them from the evil that lurks in the shadows.  Unfortunately, despite our best intentions, our children resist and fight against the boundaries we set for them.

There is little we can do when they refuse the way of righteousness, except pray.  Jesus understood the heartache we feel when our children go astray.  Consider these words from Jesus found in Matthew 23:37:

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!”

It’s not just our children that go astray.  Sometimes we adults do too.  The consequences of living a sinful life are sometimes quite pricey.  When we separate ourselves from the protection of our Lord, tragedy is certain.

A simple step of disobedience can lead to a multitude of hurt and needless suffering.  Do we not believe that our Lord wants only what is best for us?  Where is our faith?  Our Lord cares for us so much, but we are resistant to His will.

If we follow Him wholeheartedly, we will not be disappointed.  He wants to gather us to Himself in love and mercy and grace, but we will not come to Him.  Sin is so much more enticing, isn’t it?

If you find yourself in disobedience in some area of your life, I urge you to put aside that heavy weight of sin and turn to Jesus in repentance.  He is willing to receive the repentant one.

Don’t let pride keep you from repentance.  When the weight of sin becomes too heavy, you will find Him still waiting on you.  He never grows tired of trying to bring you back under the “shadow of His wings”.

“Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me:  for soul trusteth in thee:  yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.”  Psalm 57:1

 

Copyright © 2011 by Linda Hull, Words of Encouragement