Under His Wings

Week 22

Under His Wings

In the book of Ruth we read a story of a young widow who chooses to return to the homeland of her husband's family. She tells Naomi, her mother-in-law, “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. may the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.” Ruth 1:16-17.

Ruth was willing to leave her family and everything that was familiar to her. She evidently saw something in her mother-in-law that drew her to the God of Israel. She had a sense of loyalty to this woman and respect for her that was very deep. She obviously loved her very much. 

In the next chapter of Ruth we see an encounter she had with Boaz. He was a relative of Naomi and he knew that she was working very hard to provide for herself and her mother-in-law. Boaz tells Ruth, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband-how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”

Ruth had taken refuge under the wings of the Almighty God when she opted to follow Naomi. How did she know to do that? What prompted her to leave her home? We don’t really know the background of the story, but we do know the outcome of her coming under the wings of God. She married Boaz and had his son. His name was Obed and he became the father of Jesse and the grandfather of King David. Coming under the wings of the Almighty God certainly did reward Ruth.

In Luke 13:34 we see Jesus’ heart for Jerusalem when he says, “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! I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

God wants us to come to him for refuge. There is something in these stories that shows us God’s heart. He wants us to seek him, Ruth sought him and did what she knew to do and was richly rewarded for that. God blessed her beyond measure. On the other hand, the Jewish people rejected Christ and refused to seek God. They continued believing that they had all the answers within themselves and they, even today, are not living with God’s full blessing.

David wrote many times in the Psalms about taking refuge in the shadow of God’s wings. He continually sought God’s protection and shelter. He must have heard the story a thousand times of his great-grandmother leaving her homeland, seeking the protection of God and becoming the wife of Boaz. Just the fact that her story is preserved in Jewish history is a testimony to her faith. 

In Psalm 91 we read again that those who dwell in the shelter of the Most High will rest, they can trust in him. He will save those who come to him, he will cover us with his feathers. He will be faithful to us, we have nothing to fear. If we make the Most High our dwelling, no harm will befall us. He will command his angels to guard us. Because we love him, he will rescue us and protect us. He will deliver us and honor us with long life. These are promises from God.

Over and over we see God make good on his promises

there is an old hymn that is called, “Under His Wings.”

One of the verses says, 

Under his wings, what a refuge in sorrow!

How the heart yearningly turns to His rest!

Often when earth has no balm for my healing,

There I find comfort, and there I am blest.

Under his wings, under his wings, 

Who from his love can sever?

Under his wings my soul shall abide,

Safely abide forever.

*Text William O. Cushing/Music Ira D. Sankey

There is safety in God. God takes care of his children. But we have a responsibility as his children. 

If we look at David’s life we see that he called upon God for everything. And we see that even in the midst of trials and failures, he was able to continue believing that God was good. 

In Psalm 57:4-5 we hear David cry out as he is being pursued by Saul. Saul was trying to kill David and David was literally running for his life. He was hidden in a cave when he wrote these words. “I am in the midst of lions; I lie among ravenous beasts-men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.”

Could we be so faithful and exalt God in the midst of terror. Could we remember to praise God even though we were fearful? That is what it means to seek refuge. David truly abided in God. He lived and breathed the presence of God.

To come under the protection of God’s wings what do we have to do? We have to surrender control of our lives, Ruth did that. We have to acknowledge that God is powerful and that he is able to meet our needs. David did that. We have to want a relationship with the Almighty God of the universe. We can each do that.

Almighty, most holy God, today we seek you and we come to your throne of grace seeking shelter from the storms of our lives. We are helpless and powerless to change our circumstances, but we give you praise because you are a God of glory and majesty. You are strong and merciful. We are your children and that entitles us to come under your protection. We ask you to vindicate us, we trust you to take care of us. We love you and know that you love us and want what is best for us. Bless you Lord. Thank you for hearing our prayer. We offer this prayer in the mighty name of Jesus the Christ.