Under His Wings

William Cushing wrote this hymn drawing directly from Psalm 91:4 ('He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge') and Matthew 23:37 where Jesus laments over Jerusalem, longing to gather her children 'as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings.' Ira Sankey composed the tune and published it in his Gospel Hymns collection, making it one of the most widely sung American gospel songs of the late nineteenth century. The avian metaphor for divine protection remains among the most tender images of God in the Psalms.