chosentofollowhim

“But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall…” -Malachi 4:2 NASB

He will cover you with His pinions,
And under His wings you may take refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and wall. -Psalm 91:4

Keep me as the apple of the eye;
Hide me in the shadow of Your wings… -Psalm 17:8

How precious is Your mercy, God!
And the sons of mankind take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. -Psalm 36:7

Be gracious to me, God, be gracious to me,
For my soul takes refuge in You;
And in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge
Until destruction passes by. -Psalm 57:1

Let me dwell in Your tent forever;
Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. -Psalm 61:4

For You have been my help,
And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy. -Psalm 63:7

Behold, He will mount up and swoop like an eagle, and spread out His wings against Bozrah; and the hearts of the warriors of Edom on that day will be like the heart of a woman in labor. -Jeremiah 49:22

When we read through the scriptures it is apparent that God’s wings provide an array of things for His children. If you have ever watched a mama bird protect her baby chicks you can attest that it is such a tender and beautiful picture of love and guardianship. The verses above reveal much about the character of God, as our Sovereign Father. He is shown to be a healer, a place of refuge, a shelter and a defensive shield. He is Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides all things!

The definition of being “under one’s wing,” is described in Webster’s dictionary: to help, teach, or take care of.

All of these characteristics describe us as having the ability to be under the unconditional love, protection, and mentoring wings of El Shaddai. It is the secret and hidden place we can run to during any circumstance in our lives. It is the hope we have in Messiah that initiates our leap of faith into this place of trusting that His Wings will take care of all the burdens and cares challenging our day to day walk as believers. May we have the faith to reach out for His wings!

Luke 8:40-48 says this:

And as Jesus was returning, the people welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him. And a man named Jairus came, and he was an official of the synagogue; and he fell at Jesus’ feet, and began urging Him to come to his house; for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. But as He went, the crowds were pressing against Him.

And a woman who had suffered a chronic flow of blood for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone, came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. And Jesus said, “Who is the one who touched Me?” And while they were all denying it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing in on You.” But Jesus said, “Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that power had left Me.” Now when the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came trembling and fell down before Him, and admitted in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched Him, and how she had been immediately healed. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”

The miracle of Yeshua healing the bleeding woman has some beautiful truths that need to be reflected upon. Firstly, it is important to recognize that both Jarius, the crowd, and the bleeding woman were being drawn to Jesus because they knew the power in which He held. Humans are drawn to all kinds of power but what Messiah had was different. The crowd that pursued Him was clamouring for healing, guidance, protection, wisdom and truth! They had faith that He was the One prophesied about in the Old Testament; the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Prince of Peace, Almighty God, Emmanuel! The Holy Spirit was pouring out revelation of Him being the ONE who will restore all things! They wanted restoration and life and were determined to get it!

Secondly, the bleeding woman was so faithful that He would heal her if she could just touch Him and that is exactly what she did. She reached out and felt the hem, or tassel, of His robe and was immediately healed. Why is this such a powerful moment? Not only was she healed, but there is a much deeper significance. If we understand that she knew the kind of cloak Jesus was wearing was a prayer shawl, known as a tzitzit which the Lord gave Moses and the Israelites instructions on making in Deuteronomy 22:12, the meaning takes on a whole new life! In the book, Understanding Jesus by Joe Amaral, he says this, “In Numbers 15:38, the word translated border or corner is the Hebrew word for kanaph, which is also translated wings…Now that we see the picture of wings on the corners of the prayer shawl, we can gain new insight into the moving words of Psalm 91:1-4:

One who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will lodge 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 rescues you from the net of the trapper
And from the deadly plague.
He will cover you with His pinions,
And under His wings you may take refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and wall.

Wearing a prayer shawl like this is a symbolic gesture indicating a person’s inward desire to be under the law of God but also to literally clothe himself in the Law.” Understanding this first century perspective is so rich, especially when we know that Yeshua is, in fact, Himself the Torah (law) in human form. His disciple John said that He was, “the Word made flesh.”

The woman knew the garment which possessed healing powers was worth reaching for and she was right! Malachi 4:2 is a Messianic prophecy giving Jesus the title of “Sun of Righteousness” and it describes Him as having healing in His wings. How much more beautiful and awe-inspiring do these passages become when we start to see God’s intentionality in the details?!

Lastly, it was her faith that healed her and the Lord commended her for it. He then told her to go in peace. She was now under His covering of peace if she so chose to turn and receive the invitation. However, she also had the opportunity to receive and then go on living a life without stewarding the healing she had just be given. In other parables Yeshua sometimes healed or performed miracles and then would say, “go and sin no more.” These are invitations to stay under His Wings of provision. Stepping outside the protection of the wings is when our lives face destruction. The Bible demonstrates over and over again the consequences Israel experienced when straying from the Lord’s grace and guidance and did things their own way, ultimately, falling victim to pagan idolatry, sexual immorality, murder and the list goes on. Today, we see our nations deceived by the same temptations and our destruction is undeniable. We need desperately to return to His wings and take refuge, remain there, and never turn back. Abba Father, may we repent, rebuke, and return back to You, our One true love.