Psalm 91:4

Psalm 91:4 He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

Today we’ll be talking about seeking refuge with the Father. The Psalmist has given us some pretty clear illustrations to consider. Let’s start with the easy one – chickens.

We raised “free-range” chickens when I was a youth. One of my chores was to gather the eggs and I’d notice that a hen would go missing for a time. When she’d show up again she would usually have several “beeblees” in tow (that’s my grandmother’s word for baby chicks). One of the things I always thought was pretty neat was the way that the hen would call the little ones to her for protection. When myself, a hawk, or anything else she perceived as danger would appear she’d cluck in a certain way and the beeblees would come runnin’. She’d hunker down under a tree or a bush and puff out her feathers until she appeared twice her size and the chicks would all run underneath her. She’d settle down upon them and from all outside appearances you would never know she had those babies with her. If you approached her during that time she’d puff up and growl (yes chicken’s growl) and if you continued to come closer she’d fly out of that position and flog you, always returning to gather her chicks underneath her. You could always count on seeing the chicks underneath the hen because that was the safest spot for the beeblees to be.

It’s that thought that the Psalmist is talking about today. We are helpless to defend ourselves from the attacks of the adversary. We have no choice but to run to Him for protection. And once there we are hidden – safe from all attacks.

Look with me at a piece of scripture from 2 Kings concerning Elisha and the King of Syria:

2 Kings 6:13-18 13…And it was told him(the King), saying, “Surely he is in Dothan.” 14Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. 15And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” 16So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 18So when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, and said, “Strike this people, I pray, with blindness.” And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

Elisha’s servant was worried because they were surrounded by an army that there was no escaping from. Elisha prayed to God for the young man to see what he saw and the young man came to realize that they were not alone because they were surrounded by God’s army. I would argue that more of our days are like this then we tend to believe. There is an unseen battle going on around us all the time and the resources of God are brought to bear in our lives to defend us in ways that we will never know this side of heaven. We are like the chick, we are oblivious as to whether the danger is from the hawk or the rain, it is simply enough for us to know that we are safe under His protection from whatever is going on around us.

Look at the last part of verse ”His truth shall be your shield and buckler”. “Sword” and “buckler” come from Hebrew words meaning “a large shield (as if guarding by prickliness)” and “something surrounding a person”. Those are two beautiful thoughts to consider when we think about God’s truth. First it is something that completely surrounds us – protecting us from all sides. There are no chinks in God’s protection – it is complete. Not only is it complete protection but it damages (prickles) those who would attack us. God’s word is wonderful – we are safe from all attacks in the “briar patch” of His word. You can try to come after us but you’ll only end up bloodying yourself and if you could get through that you have to face the protection of the Father Himself as we stand under His wings.

Rest in the comfort that God stands with you. Remember that the cares of this world are but for a moment. Keep your eyes upon heaven and trust completely in the Father.

Blessings and peace to you all…