UNDER HIS WINGS

So often I find myself in situations where I feel lost or afraid or confused. I wonder which way to turn for help and where to find comfort. Sometimes the storms of life don't let up, and the waves continue to crash over the side of my boat. Like the disciples in Mark 4:35-41 I cry out to the Lord and doubt His care for me. I forget Who He is, (that He is God), that He is in control of ALL things that happen to me, and I fail to accept and embrace the plan that He has for my life. I often ask myself the question...what would you do if you had been in the boat that night with the disciples and Jesus when the storm hit? What would have been a proper response to the storm? I usually conclude that I would just lie down next to Jesus and hold on tight! But how can I practically do this in my life now when the storms of life hit? Keeping my eyes on the Lord and on the promises in His Word is what brings me peace. Psalm 91:4 says: "He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you will find refuge..." I just love the pictures that God gives us in the Bible to help us to understand Him better. As I think of this "picture" of God's care for me, I am reminded of a story I had heard as a child.

A forest fire burnt down a farmhouse in western Canada. As the embers cooled, the devastated farmer was walking over the ruins and noticed a burned lump on the ground. He prodded it with his stick and saw that it was a hen, burned to death. The farmer turned the hen over and, to his surprise out ran three chirping baby chicks. The hen had died in the flames even as it saved the lives of her helpless brood. Jesus compared himself to a hen eager for the safety of her brood (Matt 23:37):

“How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings!”

Oh, how much greater is Jesus' care for me! He sacrificed His life for me that I might live. Praise God that no matter what I am stuggling with in life I am not alone and I can truly find refuge UNDER HIS WINGS.