Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional "Under His Wings" for Friday, 27 June 2014 - Read Psalm 91:1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of Yahweh, “He is 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 feathers.
    Under his wings you will take refuge.
    His faithfulness is your shield and rampart.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
    nor of the arrow that flies by day;
6     nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
    nor of the destruction that wastes at noonday.
The psalmist wrote, “How precious is your steadfast love, O God! All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.”(Psalm 36:7 (NRSV))
My grandparents used to raise white leghorn chickens — fowls with snow-white feathers and vivid red combs. Sometimes, as a child, I would see a hen squat on the ground, looking as if she were resting from the heat of the day. When she finally stood up, a brood of tiny chicks would come scrambling out and take up position behind her. Anywhere she went, the chicks would follow; if she stopped and held out her wings, they’d scurry back under. For those chicks, the safest place to be was enfolded inside their mother’s wings. Seeing this as a child has given me insight into a statement Jesus made. He was expressing to the multitude his grief over Jerusalem because they had rejected all the prophets God had sent them. Then, in a more tender moment, he exclaimed, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, . . . . How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” (Matt. 23:37). We live in a stressful world filled with problems that can seem overwhelming. Our Savior beckons us to trust him and run for protection within his arms.
The Author: Mary Baird (Texas, USA)
Thought for the Day: Christ’s arms of protection are available every day.
Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, may we learn to run to you for protection. Amen.

Prayer focus: Chicken farmers
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