Wednesday, April 7, 2010

FLIGHT FEATHERS

In Psalm 91:4, we are told that God will “cover us with His feathers (or pinions) and under His wings we may seek refuge”.

So many times I’ve pictured that Scripture like the mother hen covering her chicks during the storms or other dangers. They are all cozy and protected, unaware of what is going on around them.

But, when I read the whole of Psalm 91, I get another scenario that makes more sense.
Psalm 91 (AMP)
1HE WHO dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand].
2I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!
3For [then] He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.
4[Then] He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust and find refuge; His truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler.
5You shall not be afraid of the terror of the night, nor of the arrow (the evil plots and slanders of the wicked) that flies by day,
6Nor of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor of the destruction and sudden death that surprise and lay waste at noonday.
7A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you.
8Only a spectator shall you be [yourself inaccessible in the secret place of the Most High] as you witness the reward of the wicked.
9Because you have made the Lord your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place, 10There shall no evil befall you, nor any plague or calamity come near your tent.
11For He will give His angels [especial] charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways [of obedience and service].
12They shall bear you up on their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone.(B)
13You shall tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and the serpent shall you trample underfoot.
14Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he knows and understands My name [has a personal knowledge of My mercy, love, and kindness--trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake him, no, never].
15He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.
16With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation.

I decided to check out the function of feathers and pinions. I noted there was a slight difference in what feathers do and what pinions do.

The flight feathers or wings are symmetrically paired and their primary function is to aid in the generation of thrust and lift, thereby enabling flight. Flight feathers can perform other functions: territorial displays, courtship rituals, feeding methods. The primaries are connected to the bird’s manus or “hand”. They can be rotated individually. These feathers are especially important for flapping flight, as they are the principal source of thrust. On the upstroke, when the bird often draws its wing in close to the body, the primaries are separated and rotated, reducing air resistance while still providing some thrust. The flexibility on the wingtips of large soaring birds allows for the spreading of the feathers which helps to reduce the creation of wingtip vortices, thereby reducing drag. The pinion is the outermost part of the primary wing. The pinion is connected to the phalanges. (That’s like our fingertips.) (Wikipedia 2010).

If the Scripture truly does mean He is covering us with His “pinions”, then we can look at this in quite a different way. Pinions are the most flexible parts of the wings. They help maneuver the bird wherever he wants to go. It’s not possible to “hide” from view under them. They were meant to keep the bird moving, which also “protects” the bird by getting him out of harm's way.

Could it be that when we are “under His wings” we are soaring? We are soaring above all those things: the terror of night, the arrow, the pestilence, the destruction. When we lean on Him and rely on Him, we are protected from the negative effects of the things that happen. Protected in the sense expressed by the Apostle Paul… “and none of these things move me”. No matter what the circumstances are, I will keep soaring. I will keep moving. I will let nothing distract me from what I am to do and where I am to go.

In my minds eye, I see a tandem hang-glider, soaring up and down the currents of air. You are “fixed and stable” under him. You are depending on him to steer and trusting him that he knows what he is doing. You are under his wings and guidance. He is moving the apparatus to maneuver where he wants to go. You’re under the wings and have refuge from all the earthly things below. I know I sure need refuge under His Wings. I need help to soar above it all.