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William Cushing and Ira Sankey composed that old favorite hymn Under His Wings. The refrain goes like this: “Under His wings, under His wings, who from His love can sever? Under His wings my soul shall abide, safely abide forever.” Christ used the analogy of the wings of a mother hen to convey His desire to protect and save His people. As He sat on the Mt. Olive, He wept over the nation’s refusal to accept Him as their Messiah. He cried, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets! And stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you would not let me. And now, look, your house is abandoned and desolate.” Hens gather their chicks to protect and nurture them—what Him, and in 70 A.D., the Romans destroyed their land and Temple, leaving them homeless for 2,000 years—a terrible outcome for the nation. But just as hens gather their young to love and protect them, God, today, offers His love, forgiveness, and eternal protection. To those who repent and trust in the atoning sacrifice of His Son Jesus, God gives all these blessings and a whole lot more.
