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Under God's Wings


"Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;"
(from Psalm 91)


Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Franklin D. Roosevelt stated his firm belief: “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” Sometimes fear comes from apparent threats, but also from real, extreme threats to mind, body, or spirit.

Walter Bruggermann reminds us, “You gotta have a place where you process your fears, because if you don’t process your fears, they will devour you [and] they will immobilize you.”

Psalm 91 helps form a place for processing our fears.

Dwelling in the Shelter in the Most High, (Hebrew El Shaddai) and leaning on the fortress of God in trust is the beginning place.

God’s defenses are described through vivid metaphors: protection from hidden traps, deadly pestilence, and terrors of the night, like a fierce mother bird sheltering her young.

God promises that guardian angels will remain with you through every harm or disaster you face.

Finally, the perspective shifts as God, speaking in first person, outlines, the ultimate benefits loving only God

God promises rescue, protection, answered prayers, and ultimate salvation.

To process our fears, we must name them clearly; doing so lessens their destructive power.

As we process our fears, we may find that terrible things do not disappear, but that God’s safe presence accompanies us through them.




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