ABIDING UNDER THE SHADOW OF GOD'S WINGS OR TALLIT!

The other day, as I was reading Psalm 91, it dawned on me that the wings being spoken of in Psalm 91:4, where it says “under His wings you shall take refuge” is an allegorical reference to the fringed hem of a Prayer Shawl or Tallit such as the one that Yahshua or Jesus wore all the time, and used to cover His head when He prayed or read from the Bible. Here is the passage where I saw this:

~*~ Psalm 91:3-5 ~*~ 

“Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler

And from the perilous pestilence.

4 He shall cover you with His feathers,

And under His wings you shall take refuge;

His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,

Nor of the arrow that flies by day...”

I found this to be such a profound and uplifting revelation that I wanted to share it. But first, I wanted to find the other lovely passages that refer to God's allegorical Wings or Prayer Shawl. I found many in the Psalms, and one in the Book of Ruth that conjures up this image of God's people finding healing, shelter and protection under the shadow or cover of the Tallit or Prayer Shawl that Yahshua, Who is God Incarnate, would one day wear during His First Coming as a humble Teacher, Prophet and Suffering Servant. Here is the passage in Ruth, and the first one I found in the Psalms that mentions the shadow of God's Wings:

~*~ Ruth 2:12 ~*~ 

“The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you

 by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.”

~*~ Psalm 17:7-9 ~*~ 

“Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand,

O You who save those who trust in You

From those who rise up against them.

8 Keep me as the apple of Your eye;

Hide me under the shadow of Your wings,

9 From the wicked who oppress me,

From my deadly enemies who surround me.”

Interestingly, the Prayer Shawl is often used as a Chuppah or Bridal Canopy under which Wedding vows are exchanged, and under which a Newlywed Jewish Couple kiss for the first time as husband and wife, and show their love in public. So the Wings or Edges of the Chuppah under which romantic love is expressed and sacred Wedding vows are recited are symbolic of the fringed hem of a Tallit or Prayer Shawl, which is worn when reciting Scripture and when praying.

Incidentally, the fringes that are tied to the corners of the Tallit are called Tzit-tzit, and they usually contain one blue thread that is symbolic of the Messiah, Who is Yahshua. So - when anyone that is part of the Bridal Party of the Bride of Christ and the Wise Virgins is in prayer under a Tallit, they are symbolically looking ahead to the Wedding of the Lamb! This symbolism also tells us that all born-again believers can find shelter in the Strong Tower of Yahweh God's Name (Proverbs 18:10) through prayer and Bible study, which lights our way and guides our path through this dark world (Psalm 119:105). 

In Matthew 9:20-22 and Matthew 14:35-37, there are passages where people in the crowds around Yahshua reached out in faith to touch the hem of His garment. This is actually referring to the edges of Yahshua's Tallit or Prayer Shawl, and the belief that a righteous Holy man's Tallit had a special power to bless and heal. Since Yahshua was a perfectly righteous man, healing poured forth from within Him and touched everyone that touched the hem of His Tallit in faith. In keeping with this idea, I've quoted a section of Psalm 57 below that speaks of finding protection under God's Wings or Prayer Shawl. Under these allegorical Wings, we can find protection from all sorts of calamities. We can also find a powerful shield there against the hexes, vexes and curses of our wicked enemies, and a steadfast guard against all demonic attacks.

~*~ Psalm 57:1-3 ~*~ 

“Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!

For my soul trusts in You;

And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge,

Until these calamities have passed by.

2 I will cry out to God Most High,

To God who performs all things for me.

3 He shall send from heaven and save me;

He reproaches the one who would swallow me up. Selah

God shall send forth His mercy and His truth.”

Psalms 36:8 and 63:8, quoted below, also speak of finding strength, joy and pleasure when in the abiding presence of God via our prayers to, and worship of Him. Under the shadow of Yahshua our Bridegroom's Wings, we can find the pleasure and satisfaction of feeling His great love for us, and His tenderness toward all of His beloved children that love Him and others, and not only find refuge under His allegorical Tallit, but invite others to join them there.

~*~ Psalm 36:7-8 ~*~

“Your righteousness is like the great mountains; 

Your judgments are a great deep;

O Lord, You preserve man and beast.

7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!

Therefore the children of men put their trust

under the shadow of Your wings.

8 They are abundantly satisfied with

the fullness of Your house,

And You give them drink from

the river of Your pleasures.”

~*~ Psalm 63:6-8 ~*~ 

“When I remember You on my bed,

I meditate on You in the night watches.

7 Because You have been my help,

Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.

8 My soul follows close behind You;

Your right hand upholds me.”

Last but not least, there is a passage in Malachi that identifies our Messiah Yahshua with the Sun in calling Him the Sun of Righteousness. In that passage, we are told that our Messiah has divine healing in His Wings. This too is an allusion to Christ's Prayer Shawl or Tallit being a source of protection, and the miraculous healing power of God:

~*~ Malachi 4:2 ~*~

“But to you who fear My name

The Sun of Righteousness shall arise

With healing in His wings;

And you shall go out

And grow fat like stall-fed calves.”

There is also an uplifting passage in Isaiah Chapter 40 mentioning wings in a protective sense that doesn't necessarily tie into the idea of the Lord's prayer shawl. But it is an often-quoted passage because of its poetry and comforting message. I've shared this passage below:

~*~Isaiah 40:30-31~

“Even the youths shall faint and be weary,

And the young men shall utterly fall,

31 But those who wait on the Lord

Shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint.” 

The Author Wearing Her Tallit

Because all of these Scriptures speak to us of finding comfort, protection and strength via God and His Son and Spirit, it would be wise to try and commit these powerful passages to memory, and to quote one or more of them before praying. These will serve to energize your prayer time in order to better fight the enemy, find protection and healing, and chase away the blues. In loving honor of, and in affectionate imitation of Yahshua our Messiah, I wear a Traditional-style Messianic Tallit almost daily when I pray. Adjacent here is a photo of me wearing it during a time of prayer:

I pray that this message is a blessing to you all as we fight our enemies in this dark world, and wait and watch for our Messiah and Bridegroom to come for us. I am hopeful that Yahshua is coming for us very soon, and we don't have much longer to wait. In the meantime, stay in an attitude of prayer so that God's peace can rest on you, and you will NOT be afraid of the terror and darkness that this wicked world continually uses to try and rob us of our joy in our salvation.

I know that some people probably consider this article to be either meaningless or akin to spiritual pablum. But I see this as the meat of the Word, and I found it breathtakingly beautiful to see God in this new light. I can see Yahshua wrapped in His Tallit, and holding it open so we can take shelter under His infinitely expanding Wings. There, He can make room for everyone who seeks refuge in Him.

Oh, Thank You, Yahshua for helping me to write what You inspired so beautifully into prose! Hallelu-Yah!

With Love From
Your Sister In Yahshua,
Helena Lehman of the
Pillar of Enoch Ministry
Author of the Language
of God Book Series at:
http://pillar-of-enoch.com