“Under His Wings” – Bible study

From time to time, we sing a beautiful song in our worship service entitled, Under His Wings. The meaning of the lyrics in this hymn are precious to believers.

The title reminds me of Psalm 91:4,

He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

Our Lord uses the same type of analogy, when he looks over the city of Jerusalem and the coming destruction in Matthew 23:37:

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

The idea of being covered with Gods wings means protection. We are under Gods constant love and care. He never leaves or forsakes us (Genesis 28:15; Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5). We pray, knowing that we are under the wings of our Father.

The Orthodox Jewish men wear the tallit. You have seen them in pictures. This is the shawl which has fringes at the bottom and blue strips. There is deep meaning spiritual meaning to the shawl itself as well as the fringes and the color blue. When the man wears his tallit, he is “under the wings of God. When opened, the tallit resembles wings. Wrapping himself in his tallit, he symbolically places himself under Gods sheltering love.

The man enters his prayer closet when he puts on the tallit. Didnt the Lord tell us to go into our closet to pray? (Matthew 6:6 KJV). He was speaking of this shawl, which was worn by every faithful Jewish man. Of course, the Lord wore one himself. Remember the woman who touched the hem of his garment? (Matthew 9:20-22 KJV). She received healing when touching the fringes of his tallit.

Even without the physical tallit, we too come under Gods protective love through Jesus Christ. We are under His wings with the love and mercy that He surrounds us with.

The Psalmist reflects the above sentiments when he asks God to:

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!
For my soul trusts in You;
And in the shadow of Your wings
I will make my refuge,
Until these calamities have passed by (Psalm 57:1).

Barbara Hyland, guest writer