Pinions

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A couple of days ago I was reading my Bible and my heart has been very prompted to pray and be mindful of the pastor's family I mentioned in the last blog...and I came across this verse. And I was inspired to write a letter to the family.

Well, for those that know me they are aware that generally when I write a prompted letter, I have very little recall of the actual details of the letter itself. So the fact that this one has stayed with me, has been in fact something I've been prompted to share since...well...is indeed different, and perhaps not something that I should be done sharing yet. Given the digital age we now live in, the retrieval of the letter is much simpler. I've chopped out the specifics that pertained to the family and have retained the verse that has opened my eyes, helped me see, and truly fall in deeper love with my Savior and to feel His love anew.

May these verses, this reflection be to you a blessing.

Psalm 91: 1-4

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!" For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark."

I have a confession to make, I love words. I love how many details can be conveyed with the right ones.

Today's verses that just leapt off the page, tackling me for my late arrival, my laxness...well, they are rich with details. So here they are in chronological order...the picture they paint take my breath away I hope they are uplifting to you.

Dwells, to be in a given place or state....not just a physical place or a circumstance, but a state, that is constant, like breathing, like God's grace...we were meant to live in this constant state...it fills us, grounds us....but dwell to me has always been a plural word, I don't dwell with myself...to me it always reminds me that there is something and Someone far more than just myself being depicted, being captured...an unspoken promise, potential, Presence....Jesus.

Shelter..."something beneath, behind, within a person...that which protects from storms, missiles and adverse conditions"...a refuge, not just anywhere that leaves you exposed and vulnerable, but specifically that which is designed for protections, rest, a residence...a home, it provides for us when we are faced with more than we could handle alone, a very real place to turn to...to hang out in til the storm is over....and to me, the image that comes to mind is not a lean-to, not a shack that shakes and threatens to break...no, this is a sturdy place, a solid place...and especially as it is presented here, from the Lord...

Most High...nothing higher, nothing bigger, the absolute top, the One above all....

Abide...to remain, to continue, to stay, to endure, sustain, to act in accord with....many images, the prominent one here again suggests there is a way to live...a Presence that stays with us, not just any ole presence but the Lord....it is He who stays with us, a fixed mark (like the stars in the heavens, the love you hold for your family, the love that God holds for us), it remains with us, takes up residence within us, around us...goes before us, walks along with us, sits with us...is in accordance with us, it endures...it lasts forever...and I'm strongly reminded of how often I've heard one pastor or another say, 'what God says multiple times, He not only means, but He wants your attention, He isn't just repeating Himself for the fun of it...it means it is important to Him...and to us...so pay attention.'....

Shadow....some would say a distortion of the light being cast, shade...yet, that didn't seem to fit, so I looked it up....and lo and behold what images should dance off the page "shelter, protection; sanctuary in the shadow of the church"...."a reflected image"..."an inseparable companion"....."archaiac(ally) : to shelter or protect"...."to overspread with shadow: shade".....again a reiteration of the protection, covering we have, especially as it is modifying the noun "of the Almighty....with whom there is no darkness, no turning, just light, abundant and widespread, but when we stand within His shadow, His refuge, we are sheltered, and to those who would oppose us we then appear to be in His shadow...it is only as something comes against the light that a shadow may be formed, for the light shines around the object and the shadow then falls...proof of the presence of light....

Verse 2 opens up with "I will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress..."....yes, I believe it was there not to chastise us for forgetting how real the battle is, how shaky the arms can get when assaulted, rather, I think the Lord reminds us that this is our cry, and not because we are able to battle alone or to heal ourselves...rather because we are unable, weak, lost...He came to save, to seek, to provide for, to shelter, and protect...to save... Mark 2:17 "and hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners." He knows we need Him, He provides and reminds us we are free to cry out to Him, free to call upon Him.

What a good reminder...He is my refuge, my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." He is a strong, high fortress, and I love the image that is painted in my head of a castle a top a mountain...not one that has never known the assualt of the enemy, but one that has withstood it. In my head the wood may have dents in it from the projectiles lodged at it, the rocks are uneven, weathered...but still strong and standing...this is not a fortress that has never been tried, no, this is one that still stands, no matter what comes against it. And He offeres it to us, individually, as we need it, whenever we need it, as long as we need it...He is the One we trust...come high water or battering ram, He is the only One we could trust unyieldingly, unswervingly...anything else would crumble or break, shatter or give way...

Verse 3...draws us deeper still: It is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper....

Snare...anything that serves to entrap or entangle unawares....hidden...someone once told me 'that 99% of what we worry about never happens'...you see I struggled with worry, still struggle with it....and on the days I was assaulted by the enemy I used to sarcastically think then I just wasn't good enough at worrying because that one percent margin sure leaves a mark, a bruise and hits like a semi, a freight train.....now I don't really take the counsel I was given as right, or coming even from the righteous...but here's what struck me and stuck with me, and only recently too I might add...so I'll have to keep holding it up. (it was 2 saturday nights back) and I'm paraphrasing, so forgive me, but the jist was 'worry is what happens when we take responsibility for something God never intended to be within our control'. It struck and stuck for me, and I've been thinking about it ever since...for me, I know what a challenge this will be...and the enemy is definitely laying the snares...the traps, the very things that will cause to be entrapped, or entangled...and yes, I am caught unawares, like 99% of the time, even when I think I've prepared myself. But as I read this I realized though the snare was set, hidden so as to entrap and entaggle...set by the trapper....no less...the one experienced it taking things down....this verse reminds us who is the victor and it isn't the trapper....it is He who will deliver, our God, our fortress, our refuge, our shelter, our warrior.

Not only does God deliver us from the snare, the trapper...but also "from the deadly pestilence."

Pestilence...what an icky word...it is more than just a cold, or something slimy...it is an army of colds, it is a disease, a virulent (actively poisonous or deadly, violent, hostile) sickness...icky...like plague type icky...pestilence...it wiggles and squirms and is actively attacking us, it is hostile, and doesn't like us, and doesn't want us to live...it is deadly....blech...but, more than icky it's scary....it is meant to terrify, it is huge, and full of dark portent...and yeah I don't like this word, if this were a bug, it would be the kind I'd go look for a guy to squash (and remove the remains)...good thing God already volunteered for the job. God acknowledges that it is deadly, and not good, and that I/we are very valid in our feelings, our assessment...but that He is greater, He is the Deliverer, the Healer...

Verse 4...these next words to me are amazing, tender, a comfort....

Pinions...being the bird lover I am, I am immediately smiling....this means not only is it God who is covering me, but it is with His wings....and not just any wings, but the ones meant for flying...Pinions are the part of the bird's wing that contain the primary feathers, the ones that help the bird fly with purpose and direction, shift, or navigate, the ones that direct the flight so it is flight not just soaring or a prolonged jump or fall....and what's more, if it is His pinons covering us...well, picture the wings of a swan, opening to gather her babies into and under them....her pinions would extend out, cover the babies, and then drawn them in, and under...towards the very softest part of the bird...to the very core of it...the place of greatest safety and warmth....and it is breath-taking to realize God covers us, shields us, but He doesn't just provide any old shelter, even a castle...no, He covers us with His wings, His pinions, drawing us in, and under...to the softest, most tender and warm part....He wants us so close we can hear His heart beat...to feel His steady breath....

"...under His wings you may seek refuge...."

Refuge....reiterated again...but with the tender image of His wings still overwhelming my mind, the first image that unfolds now is the baby bird, burrowing into the parent....we may seek refuge.....it is as if God, Himself, were tenderly saying, 'there there, My child, come, it's ok to be scarred, it's ok to be shaking, come seek refuge...come to the very core of Me, hear My heart beat, feel the shelter of My wings...I will watch over you, protect you, calm you, sooth you, let you rest, there, there, it is alright.'...refuge to me isn't just a place to go, it is a place to go so I can rest...it is so secure I can be less alert, less afraid, less nervous, or worried...it soothes, it calms, it secures me...it gives me peace, comfort and rest....just as the image of the baby swan taking refuge under the pinions of the parent finds refuge, reassurance, comfort and protection....

but v4 isn't over yet....

"His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark..."....somtimes during a trial, especially for those of us who believe we can be very caught up in making sure our faith holds out, holds up...and I love that He reminds me, and perhaps you too, here that it is His faith...He pours out His faith into the shield, into our lives, it is by faith alone so no one may boast that we are saved....faith isn't a work we can do, or make on our own, He is the one who gives it, and here too, most importantly, if our faith is in Him, and we seek our refuge in Him, it is His faith that will shield us, and be for us a bulwark....

Bulwark....a wall built for the purposes of defense, it is solid, it fortifies, protects, shields, secures...it is a mainstay...an extention of a that which protects that is thick and heavy, dense, and very strong...when the battering rams come, they won't hit here....they'll look for a weaker place, no battering ram will break through this place....to me it is a heavy word...bull...wark...bulwark...it sounds dense...'buhl..werk'...and that's what God's faith can be for us, the safe place that is built for defense, fortifying us, shielding us, our mainstay, our strength when we are weak, our structure...that from which we can draw support from, strength from, faith from,....our faith from His faith...His shield for ours...His strength, mighty and strong, and ours if we would seek it.

The rest of this Psalm is a beautiful promise of His protection, shelter, provision, and very accurately paint the battle field, but it also overwhelmingly reminds you, that God is with you, for you, and your strength, deliverer and answer to the storms of this life. I highly recommend reading the whole thing. And if your Bible isn't close by, or you don't have one, since you are online reading this I recommend: http://www.biblegateway.com/ it is a quick online resource, and it allows you to pick from a wide variety of translations. Psalm 91-- :)

But tonight I could not let those words go un-attended...my prayer is that you, your family, your friends and all you care about feel the incredible, tender, protecting love of the Father, the Lord, the Mighty One, the Most High...and that His refuge affords for you a place of peace and rest, a place to burrow into, and camp out in....it is my prayer that His faith protects you throughout the trials this life will bring before you, drag you through, that Jesus' faith covers you and shields you, and is your bulwark, for He is mighty and He will deliver you. He will never rest, grow weary or tired, He is ever vigilant, and He is well tried and worthy of the trust you would impart to Him to shield, protect, provide and defend you during this time, but also the One who will comfort you and give you rest. Let Him be your bulwark, your fortress, your strong tower, your very present defense who loves you with an ever lasting love.

God Bless,

~K