You WiIl Never Look at Feathers the Same
March 2010
“Friend, you will never look at feathers the same! - Nathan ”
Dear Friend:
You have something the world can only dream of. A secret place of protection from the evil life throws at us. A secret place of peace in the midst of tumultuous events.
Sounds almost too good to be true. It really does, yet in Psalm 91
we are given this promise. “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling.” (v. 1, 7, 10)
This passage is very popular, and you may have heard it many times. If you are like me, it sounds good on paper, but through the realities of life it can be forgotten. Our mind can think it is because of our actions or lack of action that we have left the secret place.
What if I told you we are not in this secret place because of our actions?
To understand the significance of this passage it is crucial we understand what the secret place is. Verse four of Psalm 91 gives us a clue. “He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.”
What do “wings” and “feathers” mean for us today? If you are anything like me, perhaps you skimmed over this part of this famous passage, thinking it meant God would take care of us like a mother bird takes care of her young. While I am sure that is true, that analogy leaves room for failure. What if something happens to the mother, or if the mother becomes disappointed with the young bird?
We find another clue to the meaning of this passage from Exodus 25:20. “And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings.” Interesting.... here we see that cherubim wings covered the mercy seat in the Israelite’s tabernacle.
You are probably thinking, “this is a nice history lesson Nathan, but what does this mean for me today?” I have real problems. You are describing cute stories from the Old Testament. Quite right, and if you will hang in with me you will see how this very much relates to our lives today: spiritually, physically and mentally.
The tabernacle and the Holy of Holies, where the mercy seat and cherubims were located in the Old Testament, were an early symbol of what was to come in heaven. A replica if you will.
The tabernacle was important for the Israelites. There the High Priest entered once a year to offer a blood sacrifice on the mercy seat for the sins of the people. However, this system was flawed. It required repeated sacrifice and it was contingent upon how well the High Priest did his job. That said, if done correctly, the blood of the animals offered would pardon the Israelites from sin, and bring God’s divine protection and provision on the people.
The secret place was in the Holy of Holies, under the wings of the Almighty and above the mercy seat. Contained under the mercy seat were: Aaron’s rod, the 10 commandment stones and the golden pot of manna (Hebrews 9:4). What do each of those three emblems represent? Man’s sin and rebellion.
It was crucial that the blood of animals be put on the mercy seat by the high priest each year. God would look down on the mercy seat and instead of seeing the sin and rebellion of the Israelites, He would see the blood sacrifice. This brought the pardon and blessing spoken about in Psalm 91.
David, the author of Psalm 91, knew the significance of the mercy seat and the secret place.
Catch this! The earthly copy of the real deal in heaven still produced pardon from sin and blessing for the Israelites! It is worthy of consideration how much more the heavenly version produces today. In fact, that is exactly what Hebrews 9:13-14 says,
“For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
Today, Jesus is our High Priest. When He died and rose again He presented His pure blood to the Father as a final sacrifice for sin. His blood was put on the mercy seat in heaven. God no longer sees our sin and failure. He sees Jesus blood covering the mercy seat and the symbols of rebellion under the seat.
The covenant is sealed once and for all. There are no more sacrifices for our sin. It is completed!
That is how the Holy Spirit can say in Hebrews 10:17, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” God entered a legally binding agreement, which states our sins are forgotten and forgiven. His holiness demands He not renege on that covenant. We are made righteous!
It is through that covenant we are in the secret place that David speaks of. Under the wings of the Father, we are forgiven, we are righteous and we are qualified to receive abundant blessing in every area of our life.
We can take credit for absolutely nothing, but can expect to receive absolutely everything.
Is your mind troubled today? Focus on the mercy seat. See yourself under the wings of the Almighty. God does not see your flaws or blemishes. He sees you through the blood of Jesus, and sees you as holy and righteous. You are qualified!
Through the secret place, we will receive unexpected promotions, attract success, win friends and loved ones to Jesus, walk in divine health and have a quality life.
Whether we consider David in the Old Testament or Paul in the New Testament, neither were free of adverse problems, nor are we promised freedom from trying situations, but we are promised that through them all we will receive overcoming power to live a life of victory.
Today, as you consider what to give for your monthly gift to Israel, give from that secret place under the wings of the Almighty. Let the peace of God rule in your heart. Maybe the amount impressed on your heart is larger than you ever dreamt. In the secret place there are no limits to what God can do.
We are blessed beyond measure already. No gift we give can increase that blessing. We merely walk out what is already ours in Christ.
You can see the enclosed ministry report from Pastor Victor Bahbah in Jaffa. What an incredible work he is doing, reaching Israel for Christ.
Many have already registered to join our Holy Land tour to Israel May 4-11. While in Israel, I will be meeting new Gospel Advancing ministries that would like support from Way of Peace. This is possible through the additional support you send each month.
Let’s reach higher in 2010 and take on more Gospel work in Israel.
We are incredibly blessed. How can we not but pass on that knowledge to those who do not know Him.
Today, would you do the following?
1. Send in your regular monthly donation. You can donate on this page.
Maybe you are already a Pre-Authorized Partner, and your amount comes out of your credit card automatically. Thank you! For those who would like to register see the back of the enclosed response form.
2. Say, yes, Nathan, let’s take on new Gospel work in Israel. Send in an amount on top of your regular gift this month, or let us know you would like to increase your monthly Pre-Authorized giving.
3. Let us know today so we can plan accordingly when we go to Israel.
Thank God for His love! Through the secret place, we are highly favored, deeply loved and greatly blessed!
I look forward to hear from you.
Blessings in Christ,
Nathan Thurber