“HIS PINIONS!”

Psalms 91                                                  (ESV)

“1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 

2 I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress, my GOD, in whom I trust." 

3 For HE will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. 

4 He will cover you with “HIS PINIONS”, and under HIS wings you will find refuge; HIS faithfulness is a shield and buckler. 

5 You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 

6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. 

7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. 

8 You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. 

9 Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place- the MOST HIGH, WHO IS MY REFUGE- 

10 no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. 

11 FOR HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU TO GUARD YOU IN ALL YOUR WAYS. 

12 On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. 

13 You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot. 

14 "Because HE holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows MY name. 

15 When he calls to ME, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. 

16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation."

There are times when we, mainly I, have a good feeling about what direction to take, but we NEED some direction or guidance from THE LORD.  For me, GOD often uses various means of directing my paths.  In Exodus 13, GOD led the children of Israel with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night to guide them as they journeyed to the Promised Land.  Though no authoris mentioned in the Hebrew text of this psalm, Jewish tradition ascribes it to Moses, with David compiling it in his Book of Psalms. The Greek Septuagint translation of the Old Testament attributes it to King David.

Being a “dirt dumb country boy”, I had to research what Scripture meant a when I read “HIS PINIONS” this morning.  Pinions is defined as “the outer part of a bird's wing including the flight feathers”.  My mind immediately went back to Exodus 13 and the Children of Israel having to TRUST GOD to lead them from captivity in Egypt.  They had been captive in Egypt for 430 years, so most of them never knew freedom.  But GOD led them, not on a path that was the shortest, but where HE would receive the GLORY!!!

Why do I always seem to CHOOSE the path of least resistance?  The largest miracle performed in my life (by this world’s standards) was the recovery from the Brain Hemorrhage in 2007.  Yet GOD didn’t heal me in a day or two, AS HE COULD HAVE and I would have definitely prayed for had it been left up to me.  HE kept me under “HIS PINIONS” and protected me until HE said IT IS TIME!  After 52 days being hospitalized and two years of being off work, GOD provided a job.  

It has been 12 and one half years since and I STILL have to slow myself down and wait for GOD.  Getting outside of “HIS PINIONS” and their protection is NOT something that I ever want to do.  The Children of Israel had to wander in the wilderness for 40 years, however GOD got GLORY over their enemies!  That is my desire!  For ALMIGHTY GOD to gain GLORY in my life and to remain under “HIS PINIONS” all of my days!!!