"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing." (Jesus, in Matt. 23:37)
The image is of a mother hen (yes, it's a nurturing female image), caring for her vulnerable chicks beneath her strong, tender wings. In the shadow of God's wings, we find perfectly loving protection. As we discover that we are safely held near His heart, He frees us from fear, to love and serve Him with abandon and delight. "The Lord is my salvation; whom shall I fear?" (Ps. 27:4)
Yet, those long wings of refuge cast a shadow.
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!
For my soul trusts in You,
And in the shadow of Your wings
I will make my refuge
Until these calamities have passed by. (Ps. 57:1)
That shadow may feel confined, cramped, darker than we'd hoped. We can't see the horizon; we want to stretch our own wings and soar, on our own fuel. The shadow of our suffering looms large to us, feels threatening, suffocating; all the while, God's nurturing wing is even nearer than that suffering.
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
He will cover you with his feathers,
and under His wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. (Ps. 91:1 & 4)
We can trust Him as our place of rest. He covers us: sheltering, guarding, teaching us how to trust the Righteous One, who soars with healing in His wings (Mal. 4:2). Whether we find ourselves in broad light or dusky shadow, our Father surrounds us with His powerful love.
May God give us grace to sing in the shadow of His wings.
Afflictions are but the shadow of His wings.
(George MacDonald, The Curate of Glaston)
Beautiful! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteSo hard, sometimes, to rest in the shadow. So much easier to rest when we think we see light at the end of the tunnel. Humanness prevails so easily!
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