Under His Wings

Julie Cosgrove

Are you searching for a source of peace? We are here to listen.

“He will cover you with His feathers and under His wings you will find refuge.” (Psalm 91:4)

It’s a story that has been zipping through email boxes. A dove named Noah, once injured himself, took an affinity to three helpless newborn bunnies that were brought to the shelter.  Originally there had been five bunnies. The chances for the remaining three were considerably low at best.

The dove crouched at the door of their cage, cooing that soft lulling sound. One of the bunnies crawled through the bars and nestled under his wing for warmth and security. Eventually, the others followed. All three bunnies not only survived but also began to thrive. I am sure it was pure instinct on that little bunny’s part to go to the dove. But the fact that he was bold enough to leave his littermates and crawl through the bars to find shelter under the dove’s warm feathers- and then by his action enticed his littermates to do the same- provides a valuable lesson for us.

To Fly Again

By Suzie Eller

"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Colossians 3:13 (NIV)

I stood on the small ladder with light bulb in hand. The weather was frigid, and changing an outdoor light was not what I wanted to do. But with darkness falling earlier it was necessary.

Something fluttered inside the lamp, which made me hesitant to reach in and unscrew the old bulb.

Peering in, I saw a bird at the bottom of the lamp with its wings pressed close to its side, and spindly legs twisted around the base of the lamp. How had this bird made its way into the lamp? How long had it struggled to be free?

For the next several moments I removed burned out light bulbs and debris, carefully trying to release the bird from its entanglement. As I tried to lift it to freedom with two fingers, it pecked furiously at my hand.

Wings on the wind

How do migrating birds know exactly when, and where, to go?
by David Catchpoole

Photo: stock.xchng

Imagine if, when you were very young and were utterly dependent on your parents for protection and food, they had abandoned you suddenly to go overseas? Without any written instructions as to where they’d gone, would you have been able to follow their path once you’d grown strong enough to try?

Sound impossible? Not for the Bristle-thighed Curlew! When the chicks are just five weeks old, the parents depart, heading for the tropics.¹ Left behind in the marshes of the Alaska Peninsula, the chicks gorge themselves on berries and insects. As their little bodies become stronger, accumulating the all-important reserves of fat—fuel for the long journey ahead—they frequently take to the air for short flights, as if in premigratory practice.

The Healer’s in Your House!

Kenneth W. Hagin

Here the prophet Malachi is looking down through time and describing what he sees. As he gazes into the future, he sees Jesus coming with healing in His hands. He sees Jesus ministering to the sick. He sees Jesus delivering those who are bound!

As we look at these truths, we must understand that when Jesus came to this earth, He did not come empty-handed. He came with healing. That means the day of healing has dawned.

If your body is racked with pain or if you’re facing a terrible diagnosis, the good news is, there’s an end to your darkness. There’s an end to your trouble—because Jesus Christ has risen with healing in His wings!

Jesus Has Come Into Your Dark Night
Have you ever suffered through a dark night? I’m talking about a night when the pain was so great that you could not sleep. As the hours ticked away, you wondered if the sun would ever appear on the horizon again. You asked yourself, over and over, Will morning ever come?

Maybe it’s not sickness that’s plaguing you today. Maybe it’s something else. You think, “If I can just make it through the darkness, if I can just make it through the night, there will be light in the morning.”

As we live our lives and walk on this earth, dark clouds of hopelessness and despair seem to hang over us at times. Satan does everything he can to keep us in the darkness and out of the light of the Word of God. And it seems that he uses sickness and disease to rob and steal from God’s people more than anything else.

Perhaps you’ve suffered for so long that your pain and misery seem to stretch into eternity. Maybe you’re like so many people whom the enemy has told, “This is your lot in life. You might as well get used to living this way.”

But I’m telling you, the devil is a liar! The Healer has already come. The Sun of Righteousness has risen with healing in His wings.

As you let the light of God shine into your life, you will rise from the darkness. You will rise from the pit of despair. And you will walk in joy and gladness instead of gloom and doom.

Jesus has risen that you might have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). The darkness, sickness, disease, and problems you face are only temporary if you will let the light of God shine in.

In John 8:12 Jesus said that He was the light of the world. And when the light comes, darkness is dispelled and gloom is gone. The Light of the World has risen upon you, and He’s risen with healing in His wings. As you lift up your eyes and look to Him, you can and will be delivered from the darkness!

Malachi 4:2 says when Jesus comes with His healing power, you will go free—leaping with joy, filled with life—like a calf let out to pasture.

You may never have been on a farm, but I remember my grandpa’s farm and other farms I visited as I was growing up. I would see the calves and colts that had been cooped up in the stall jumping, kicking, and running around in the pasture as soon as they were let out. They were rejoicing because they were free!

You may be cooped up in the devil’s stall of sickness and disease, but it’s time for you to go free. It’s time for you to go leaping and dancing and rejoicing, because your day of deliverance has dawned. The Sun of Righteousness has risen over your life with healing in His wings!

_____________

[Editor’s Note: This article was adapted from Kenneth W. Hagin’s new book, The Healer’s in Your House!]

http://www.rhema.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1786:the-healers-in-your-house&catid=170:2012-april&Itemid=564

On Eagle's Wings

As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: So the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him. —Deuteronomy 32:11-12

God compares His relationship with Israel with the eagle who observes the feathers of its young to determine when they are ready to fly—and then deliberately pushes them out of the nest.

Often we do not know when we are ready to step out in faith, but God does. When we need to step out in faith, He will thrust us out of the nests of comfort and ease we have constructed for ourselves. As in the manner of a young eagle soaring for the first time, we can also soar because we know it is His timing and He is right there with us as we go forth.

As the eagle leads her young from the nest, she flies under them, guiding their journey. And if they become weary, she carries them home on her wings. When we cannot go on any longer, He carries us to our destination. You can always count on His strength that will never let you fall.

Lord, teach me to fly. Push me out of every nest that I 
construct to keep myself from risking faith 
and trusting You. Amen.

http://www.charismamag.com/index.php/new-man/daily-tune-up/daily-breakthroughs/20463-on-eagles-wings-

Under His Wings - Christ endured the fires of judgment that we might enjoy the forgiveness of God.

by Vernon C. Grounds

• Subscribe on iTunes
• Play MP3 (Mobile)

Our Daily Bread Radio is hosted by Les Lamborn

Read: 1 Peter 2:21-25

He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge. — 

Psalm 91:4

Bible in a Year:
Ezekiel 24-26; 1 Peter 2

Indian evangelist Sundar Singh wrote about a devastating forest fire in the Himalayas where he was traveling. 

While many were trying to fight it, a group of men stood looking up at a tree with flames climbing up its branches. They were watching a mother bird flying frantically in circles above the tree. She was chirping out an alarm to her nest full of fledglings. As the nest began to burn, the mother bird didn’t fly away; instead she zoomed down and covered her brood with her wings. In seconds she and her nestlings were burned to ashes.

Singh then said to the awe-stricken spectators: “We have witnessed a truly marvelous thing. God created that bird with such love and devotion that she gave her life trying to protect her young. . . . That is the love that brought Him down from heaven to become man. That is the love that made Him suffer a painful death for our sake.”

The above story is a stirring illustration of Christ’s love for us. We also stand in awe as we think of Calvary where the fire of holy judgment burned. For there Jesus willingly suffered and “bore our sins in His own body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24).

Lord, thank You for dying in our place. How grateful we are for all that You have done!

Under His wings I am safely abiding,
Though the night deepens and tempests are wild;
Still I can trust Him, I know He will keep me,
He has redeemed me and I am His child. — Cushing

Christ endured the fires of judgment that we might enjoy the forgiveness of God.

http://odb.org/2002/11/25/under-his-wings/

Ruth Gleans in the Field

Scripture Passage : Ruth 2:1-23

INTRODUCTION: The first chapter of Ruth demonstrates the great need and lowly condition of both Naomi and Ruth. This chapter begins to give hope and demonstrates the wonderful grace of God. In chapter one, Ruth claims Naomi’s God as her God (Ruth 1:16). In chapter two, Ruth begins to understand what it means to come under the wings of the God of Israel (Ruth 2:12).

1. RUTH GOES TO GLEAN IN THE FIELD (Ruth 2:1-3
   )
1. The Introduction of Boaz (Ruth 2:1
   )
1. A kinsman of Naomi’s husband
2. A mighty man of wealth
2. The Determination of Ruth (Ruth 2:2
   )
1. She determines to glean grain in the field.
2. She is not only loyal to Naomi (Ruth 1:16-18
   ), but she is also willing to work.
3. The law commanded those who harvested a crop to leave the corners of the field so the poor and the stranger could gather the remains to meet their needs (Leviticus 23:22
   ).
3. The Providence of God (Ruth 2:3
   )
1. This passage speaks of “her hap”; this refers to good fortune, luck, happenstance (thus, the word hap).
2. Yet we see God’s working in everything that happened. It was part of God’s providential working in Ruth’s life (Romans 8:28
   ; Proverbs 16:9
   ).
2. BOAZ DISCOVERS THE IDENTITY OF RUTH (Ruth 2:4-7
   )
1. Boaz Checks on the Reapers (Ruth 2:4-5
   ).
1. Boaz’s godly relationship with the reapers (Ruth 2:4
   )
2. Boaz’s curiosity about Ruth (Ruth 2:5
   )
2. The Servant’s Report about Ruth (Ruth 2:6-7
   )
1. She is a Moabite (Ruth 2:6
   ).
2. She asked to glean among the reapers (Ruth 2:7
   ).
3. She has worked from morning with little rest (Ruth 2:7
   ).
3. BOAZ INSISTS SHE GLEAN IN HIS FIELD (Ruth 2:8-9
   )
1. He Requests That She Not Glean in Another Field (Ruth 2:8
   ).
2. He Promises Her Protection and Provision (Ruth 2:9
   ).
1. The young men shall not touch you.
2. Drink water of the vessels they draw.
4. BOAZ EXPRESSES HIS ADMIRATION FOR RUTH (Ruth 2:10-13
   )
1. Ruth Is Amazed at the Grace Shown by Boaz (Ruth 2:10
   ).
1. That he took knowledge of her (cp. John 1:48
   )
2. That he considered one who was a stranger (cp. Ephesians 2:11-13
   )
2. Boaz Tells of His Admiration for Ruth (Ruth 2:11
   ).
1. Her devotion to Naomi
2. Her departure from her family and land
3. Her coming to a strange land
3. Boaz Blesses Ruth (Ruth 2:12
   ).
1. May the Lord recompense her work.
2. May the Lord reward her trust in Him.
3. NOTE: She, as a Gentile, has come to trust in the God of Israel and has placed herself under His care.
4. Ruth Is Overwhelmed with Gratitude (Ruth 2:13
   ).
1. His favor
2. His comfort
3. His friendship
4. Despite her being foreign
5. BOAZ TAKES SPECIAL CARE OF RUTH (Ruth 2:14-17
   )
1. He Provides for Her at Mealtime (Ruth 2:14
   ).
1. Boaz provides the meal.
2. Boaz serves corn to Ruth – “reached her parched corn” means that he reached in and got it for her lest she be too modest to get it for herself.
2. He Provides for Handfuls of Purpose (Ruth 2:15-16
   ).
1. She is to be allowed among the sheaves (Ruth 2:15
   ).
2. She is not to be reproached (Ruth 2:15
   , 16).
3. She is to be left handfuls of purpose (Ruth 2:16
   ).
3. Her Daily Harvest Amounts to an Ephah (Ruth 2:17
   ).
1. She gleans until evening.
2. She beats out the grain.
3. She has an ephah of barley.
4. NOTE: This is an amazing amount for one who is simply gleaning the fields. Though the records vary, it is said to amount to from 30 to 50 pounds of grain.
6. RUTH TELLS NAOMI OF HER GOOD FORTUNE (Ruth 2:18-21
   )
1. Ruth Returns to Naomi (Ruth 2:18
   ).
1. She shows her the bountiful harvest.
2. She gives Naomi the remainder.
3. NOTE: Naomi (the Jew) is now getting her blessings from Ruth (the Gentile). See Acts 15:11
   .
2. Naomi Discovers Ruth’s Benefactor (Ruth 2:19-21
   ).
1. His name is Boaz (Ruth 2:19
   ).
2. He is near of kin (Ruth 2:20
   ).
3. He has offered continued help (Ruth 2:21
   ).
4. Naomi sees God blessing again (Ruth 2:20
   ).
7. RUTH GLEANS UNTIL THE END OF HARVEST (Ruth 2:22-23
   )
1. She Is Encouraged by Naomi (Ruth 2:22
   ).
2. She Continues through the Time of Harvest (Ruth 2:23
   )

CONCLUSION: Grace and provision have been shown to Ruth and to Naomi through Ruth. Boaz (the type of Christ) has been the source of it all. However, full redemption has not yet been made. That comes in the last half of the book. Then, of course, comes the marriage. What a blessed book!

David Reagan and Andrew Ray

http://www.learnthebible.org/sunday-school-outlines/ruth-gleans-in-the-field.html

Ruth - A Virtuous Woman

• References: Ruth 1-4; Matthew 1:5
  
• Memory Verses:  Ruth 1:16-17
  ; Ruth 2:12
  ; Ruth 3:11
  ; Proverbs 22:1
  ; Proverbs 31:10
  
• Dates:  1135?-1050? BC

Ruth has always been one of my favorite women in the Bible. She’s one of two women after whom a book is named and she is the only woman in the Bible specifically said to be virtuous. Not only that, but she isn’t even a Jew. She’s a Moabitess. She married a Jewish man and then watched while her father-in-law, her brother-in-law and her husband died. Then, she followed her mother-in-law back to Israel. To a country she had never been to before. She left her family, her gods and her nationality. And she traveled to a land she had never seen where she knew no one. She was a foreigner and an outsider determined to find the God of Israel.

Ruth is a picture of God’s grace in offering salvation to Gentiles. What did she see in her husband and his family that drew her to God? God blessed her devotion to her mother-in-law, Naomi. She married and had a little boy who became the grandfather of David. David’s great-grandmother was Ruth. Did he know her? We aren’t told, but I’m sure at the very least he heard stories about this godly woman. By the way, did I mention that she’s the first woman on record who proposed to her husband?

Look up the following words in a dictionary and give the definition:

• Sojourn (1:1)
• Steadfast (1:18)
• Suffice (2:14)
• Virtuous (3:11)
• Nourish (4:15)
• Virtue
• Ruthless

1. What one word would you use to describe Ruth?
2. What made Ruth a virtuous woman?
3. What is the significance of there being a whole book about Ruth?
4. What verses from this book really speak to your heart?
5. Read Ruth 2:12
   , why do you think it refers to “wings”?
6. Who is Boaz a picture of?
7. Is there anything Ruth should have done differently?
8. Look up Ruth 1:8
   , 2:20
   , and 3:10
   . How are kindly and kindness in these verses similar and how do they differ in meaning?
9. What was the name of Ruth’s first husband?
10. What was the name of Ruth’s son?
11. Who is Ruth’s great-grandson?
12. Who was Ruth’s sister-in-law?
13. What great compliment did the women of Bethlehem-Judah give to Ruth in chapter 4?
14. After all the pain and suffering that Ruth went through losing her father-in-law, brother-in-law, and husband all at once and then being deserted by her sister-in-law as well, what do you think still drew her to God?
15. In what areas of Ruth’s life is the hand of God visible?
16. Here are 3 verses from Proverbs 31. Find matching verses in Ruth.

• Proverbs 31:10
  
• Proverbs 31:23
  
• Proverbs 31:31
  

Bonus Question: Where did the Moabites come from? (Read Genesis 19:37
)

Note: An ephah (2:17) is about a bushel.

Fill in the blanks in this passage from Ruth 1:16-17

“Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from ________________ after thee: for whither thou _________, I will ________; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy ___________ shall be ________ people, and _________ God __________ God: Where thou diest, will I ________ and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but ____________ part ___________ and me.”

Kate Reagan

http://www.learnthebible.org/ruth-a-virtuous-woman.html