There is a beautiful hymn called “Under His wings, I am safely abiding.” The meaning of those words is precious to Believers.  We associate wings with safety, knowing that our Father loves us and takes us under His protection regardless of what we suffer in this world.

We think of wings in regard to birds, or chickens who provide protection for their offsprings.   Psalm 91:4. “He will cover you with his feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge, His faithfulness will be your shield and defender.”

Yeshua (Jesus) uses the same type of analogy, when He looks over the city of Jerusalem and the coming destruction by the Romans in AD70.  Matthew 23:37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, but you were not willing.” 

The idea of being covered with God’s wings means protection.  But to the Jewish men it has another meaning as well. 

They are often seen wearing the Tallit…. or long shawl covering their heads, with long fringes intwined with blue threads.  All of this is very symbolic. The binding of their arms and having a small scripture box on their foreheads remind them of God’s instructions found in Exodus 13: 9. “And it shall be to you as a sign on your hand/arm and as a memorial between your eyes.”

When the man wears his tallit he is under the “wings “of God.  The tallit when opened resembles “wings.”   Wrapping himself in his tallit, he symbolically places himself under God’s sheltering love. 

The Lord spoke of entering a prayer closet.  Another symbol of being wrapped in a tallit, a covering which provides a type of prayer closet.  Women do not wear the tallit but they too are covered with His protection as they are under His wings symbolically.    

Yeshua wore the tallit himself.  Remember the woman who touched the hem of His garment? The story is found in Mark 5:24, 25. “And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched garment.”  This was probably his tallit, since it had long fringes. 

Even without being touched by the fringes of His garment, we too come under God’s protective love through our Messiah.  We are under His wings and with love and mercy He surrounds us.  “Have mercy on me, my God have mercy on me for in you I take refuge. I take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.”  Psalm 57:1.
                                      
                                                Are you abiding under His wings?