“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.” - Matthew 23:37
David prayed, “Guard me as the apple of your eye. Hide me in the shadow of your wings. Protect me from wicked people who attack me, from murderous enemies who surround me” (Psalm 17:8-9).
David looked for a secret place of security and found a ready refuge in God. David cried, “I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until this violent storm is past” (Psalm 57:1). The “violent storm” was the result of David’s disastrous relationship with King Saul, who had forced David to run for his life and hide in the caves of the rock.
Do you know where to go in the midst of your storms? Is there a familiar saving shadow known to your spirit? When Jesus walked our earth, he described people as “baby chicks” running around in circles, scattering in every direction. He longed to gather men and women under his wonderful wings of love—but they wouldn’t let him. It’s a silly chicken who would rather be in the middle of the storm than be sheltered by Christ. It is my sad conclusion that our world is populated with such weird birds! Are you “under his wings” or “out in the storm”? The choice is yours.
We need to pray, “Lord Jesus, shelter me in your shadow, welcome me under your wings—till these storms have passed.”
For Further Study: Matthew 23:37-39
Excerpted from The One Year Devotions for Women, Copyright ©2000 by Jill Briscoe. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
For more from Jill Briscoe, please visit TellingtheTruth.org.
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