Psalm 91:4
Thoughts from Amanda Cook
Dive Deeper
“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”
Psalm 91:4
Behind the Scenes
What a beautiful picture this verse paints. It’s a picture of vulnerability and trust. A picture of strength and warmth. A picture of true and total protection – by the ONLY true and total Protector. In fact, this entire Psalm is about God’s protection and shelter. The author of this Psalm is not known, which I feel lends to its true beauty. The author is God alone, and God alone gets the credit. I encourage you now to go back and read the whole Psalm.
Let’s break down a few of the words in this verse. The word cover here is the Hebrew word sakak, which means to block, overshadow, stop the approach, or shut off. It’s literally that barrier to any outside intrusion. The word refuge, chacah, can be to seek refuge, flee for protection, or to put trust in God. I love how when we seek refuge in God, we put our trust in Him. That requires us to be vulnerable. To be fully known…
Make it Real
When I was researching for this devotional, the words to Tauren Wells, “Known”, kept going through my head.
“It’s so unusual it’s frightening
You see right through the mess inside me
And you call me out to pull me in
You tell me I can start again
And I don’t need to keep on hidin’
I’m fully known and loved by You
You won’t let go no matter what I do
And it’s not one or the other
It’s hard truth and ridiculous grace
To be known fully known and loved by You
I’m fully known and loved by You”
You see, we are fully KNOWN and fully LOVED by God. He is our protector, our strength, our refuge. We so often try to hide our true selves, and sometimes we do a really good job of it in our day-to-day lives, putting on our masks and pretending everything is fine. But God already knows. We don’t have to hide from Him. We simply need to trust in Him. And like the song says, “It’s not one or the other. It’s hard truth and ridiculous grace to be known, fully known, and loved by Him.”
Colleen McGeorge
ACF Devo Team
End in Prayer
Father God, I can’t fathom how You can fully know me and still fully love me, but I’m so very grateful that that is a truth I can hold on to. When the hard truth and ridiculous grace collide, that’s when I get the full sense of how very much You love me. Thank you for 100% truth and 100% grace at the same time as I walk my journey to become more like Christ. Thank You for covering me in Your wings and being my shield and rampart. I love you so much God. In the wonderful and life-giving name of Jesus! Amen!