I have the sweet privilege to be studying God’s word this
fall with some amazing women. We are
taking some of the familiar stories of scripture and asking God to teach us
about Himself, to teach us theology and to sink it deep into our hearts. This week we studied and looked at the
beautiful love story of Ruth. I ran
again into a truth that the Lord has been pressing into my life for a few
years. When Boaz says to Ruth, “may the
Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward
you fully.” The wings of God…such imagery…such
beauty…such rest! I remember the
precious moment that He let me feel the reality of His wings.
We had traveled to a far away land, to a country that is
closed to God and to His life rescuing hand.
Yet up in the mountains of this country there is a pocket of many
believers, a result of missionaries that 150 years ago invested…and gave their
lives for the people of the area. We
were sent to encourage the body. Jim
would meet with the pastors in the area and I would meet with the pastor’s
wives in a retreat setting. They
traveled for miles, some of them three and four days for two days of
teaching. The week was hard spiritually
and physically with the conditions we were in.
We came to the end of the week totally spent and fragile. One of the pastors asked if we would please
spend our last evening in his home. It
is against the law for foreigners to be in local’s homes so we went there in
the cloak of night, in a torrential rain storm and on a motorcycle! I remember being on the verge of tears when
we arrived and having thoughts that I could not muster up one more ounce of
energy. We walked into their home. It was modest, mats on the floor, four
chairs, a dirt floor kitchen, and a wood burning stove in the middle. It was rainy and cold, the warmth of the
stove felt so good on our wet skin. But
nothing compared to the warmth of the couple that we shared the space
with. The pastor/husband could speak
English but the wife could only say a few words. So everything that was said was said with interpretation. After entering we were served hot tea and
seated on two of the four chairs. Our
hostess then scurried out of the room and reappeared. She unfurled a beautiful shawl, made with
traditional colors of deep burgundy and green.
Her husband explained that she was a weaver and had made the shawl
herself. She would later show us her
loom as she sat on the floor, the loom securely on her lap and the tension
peddles being controlled by her feet. She came over to me offering me the
shawl, she then once again unfurled it, came behind me and wrapped me in the
bright colored cloth and her arms, whispering some of the only words she knew
in my ear, “be blessed Kim”. I was
wrapped in love. Under the warmth of
this woven treasure I was overwhelmed with the sense of belonging, a place of
refuge, a place of care. The Lord used it to heal me that stormy night and to
teach me the refuge that is found only under His wings. I kept wrapped in the
shawl for the rest of the night and even now often I will make a cup of tea and
wrap myself in it. God’s wings are our
refuge, shelter, covering, resting place, a place we can sing for joy. Learning to not look to anyone or any other
place for this is the journey. Even
Jesus stood on top of a hillside over looking Jerusalem and said how He longed to gather
them under His wings.
Learning to stay tucked under His wings.
Be Blessed!
Kim
Psalm 17:8, Psalm 36:7, Psalm 57:1, Psalm 61:4, Psalm 63:7,
Psalm 91:4, Duet. 32:11, Matt. 23:37
A beautiful song written based on Ruth
2:12 by a gifted singer/song writer, Mandy Mapes.
