Category: Covering The Spread

Psalm 91:2-4 –
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

The language of refuge and fortress has a military/battle language to it, meaning that this life is a battle. We live in a world that is constantly battling and confronting—with the purpose of either destroying or weakening our faith and living in the very presence of God. This can be seen whenever our hearts become detached or distant from God’s presence.
The Lord’s invitation is for us is to now make the Lord our dwelling, especially in times of battle.
The Lord also promises that He will save us from the fowler’s snare. A fowler is someone who captures fowls (birds). The way that fowlers captured birds was by setting up traps that the birds couldn’t see or were fooled into.
The point here is that the Lord will save us (rescue us) from the traps of life—those destructive things in life that are unseen and brings evil into our lives.
The Lord will surely save us from the traps that we cannot see—are tempted by—trying to fool us. Lastly, the imagery of being under God’s wings is one of deep care and intimacy. Like a mama bird that puts her young under her wings in order to protect—the wings of God will also shield us from all harm and the elements that can hurt us.
To be under his wings, is to be hidden in God. We are not touched, for the Lord shields us from harm. Do we live in this incredible sense of security and protection?

Today, come under the care and protection, and become hidden under His wings. Pray and worship with the song “Always” (Click here).

– GK

Psalm 91:1 – Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High, will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

The word ‘Dwell’ here is about residing in the place that is permanent and secure. This is in contrast to the temporary or short-term transient dwelling. The depth of this passage is to say that we are no longer to be alone—apart from the Lord—living in the effects of sin.
So, the passage is an invitation—that the beginning of a life of salvation is a life that now dwells—lives with the Lord. This is in contrast to the coming and going that we tend to do with the Lord. We are not to visit the Lord’s house. Rather, we are to make His house our own house/dwelling. When that occurs, it says that we will find rest in the shadow of the almighty.
To find rest, means that we are no longer wandering from one place to another—that sense of restlessness, (ants in your pants), that is easily swayed by the world. To live in the shadow of the almighty is the language of being ‘under the Lord’s personal care and protection’ watching over us. One imagery of this nearness of God is to feel the breath of God on your neck—He is ever so close, so near, and so over us.

Today, pray that you would dwell in the house of the Lord, and not come and go based upon your needs or emotions. Worship with the Lord with the song “The Secret Place” (Click here).

– GK

Zachariah 2:8 – For this is what the Lord Almighty says: …for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye.

Psalm 17:8 – Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.

In Chapter 3 of Ruth, she says, “spread your garment over me,” to Boaz. The word for garment is the Hebrew word for wing (also in Ezekiel 16:8). This word is used only one other place in Ruth—namely, in the key verse from chapter 2:12, where Boaz says to Ruth, “The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under those wings you have come to take refuge.” The desire and the need to find refuge in Yahweh was ultimately the reason why Ruth came with Naomi to Bethlehem. However, whatever her initial expectations might have been regarding God’s refuge, what is actually unfolding is a story of incredible grace, mercy, and blessing. For Ruth was now on the precipice of having even her widowhood being redeemed. This is what it means to find refuge under the wings of God. For we are kept as the apple of God’s eye (the most sensitive area), the ones whom the Lord has chosen and redeemed to be His beloved and chosen people.

Today pray through Psalm 17:8, knowing that you are the apple of God’s eye. Listen and worship with the song “Lover of My Soul” (Click here).

– GK

Romans 5:8-11 – But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

“The real love story is behind the scenes. It is the love of God for his straying sheep… This love took its fullest shape in the coming of Jesus Christ. His love for us took him much further than a grain pile at midnight. It caused him to leave the glories of heaven and come down and live as an ordinary worker. It led him to come as a baby to Bethlehem, where he found no refuge. Unlike Ruth, there was no place of rest for Jesus in Bethlehem, no godly Boaz to protect him…

This same love of God took Jesus all the way to the cross. There, in the midst of a darkness far deeper than any ordinary midnight, he offered himself up for the sins of his people… Jesus didn’t just risk his life; he gave it. Why? …It is because of God’s covenant faithfulness to the undeserving… He will be your Redeemer and receive you into his family. He will cover you with his wings and be your refuge. He will spread the robe of Christ’s righteousness to cover your nakedness…” [Ian Duguid, Esther & Ruth (Reformed Expository Commentary), Kindle Locations 3135 ff.]

Today as you approach the Lord, pray for His love to cover you, taking you deeply into His compassion, kindness, and care over your life. Worship with the song “Holy Overshadowing” (Click here).

– GK

Colossians 1:19-22 – For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.

God has covered all the risks. What risks do we foresee in following/living for God? What unknown, ‘what if’ questions do we have that bring concern, that paralyzes us from moving forward or blinds us to see what God is already doing, already planned for us? Was it risky for Naomi to return to Bethlehem, to return to the people living under God’s wings? Was it risky for Ruth to propose to Boaz, the man that God singled out and placed in front of her who already showed her so much kindness? Was it risky for Boaz to covenant to Ruth, the woman that God singled out and placed in front of him who already has shown her good character in regards to her mother-in-law and now to him in asking that he would be the one to redeem her? No risk with God, no risk for the people of God – He is the author of hesed love, He Himself is hesed love – loyal, faithful, covenantal, kind, merciful, generous. Giving our lives to God may feel risky, but God gave up His only Son, Jesus, the One who gave up everything to save and redeem us. He covered all our risks so that we can be assured of God’s acceptance and His provision for our wellness and wholeness.

Today let’s pray in assurance of God’s care and love. What fears, what needs, what struggles are you facing? Pray to the One who rescues and provides for all of our needs. Worship with the song “Christ is Risen” (Click here).

– GK