Clinging, Trusting, Singing
“Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.”
- Psalm 63: 7-8
As I was reading this Psalm, I was struck by the image of “singing under the shadow of his wings.” It sounded so pleasant at first glance, but then I started to imagine the scene in the final Lord of the Rings movie when Frodo and Sam are carried off by the eagles from the sweltering fires of Mordor. That must have been rather uncomfortable and even painful (though I guess technically they were unconscious so maybe it wasn’t). Or what about the scene in Narnia when Lucy and Susan rode on the back of Aslan? Yes, they were being rescued… yes, they were being carried swiftly by their savior. It must have been exhilarating. But also, it must have been terrifying on so many levels.
It’s a peaceful image in the Psalms to be in the shadow of the wings of the Almighty. But in order to SING under there… where it might feel dark and scary… well that is a whole different ballgame. That requires trust. It says “Because you are my help,” (because you have proven yourself trustworthy and true)… “I sing in the shadow of your wings.” When we can’t see what’s ahead, when we can’t hear his voice, it doesn’t feel very peaceful at all. It can feel dark and lonely. But when we remember that we are NOT alone, that we are held close to God’s heart… we can cling with hope, we can sing with joy, and the dark isn’t so scary anymore. It starts to feel warm.
“I SING IN THE SHADOW OF YOUR WINGS. I CLING TO YOU”… because what else would I do? Where else would I go?
Clinging, trusting, singing… requires trust and assurance that He is good and also that He is taking us somewhere good. Even when we can’t see where we’re going and even when it feels scary. We are safe.
We can still praise Him in the darkness, even if our singing is a whimper or a whisper. He wants our attention, our hearts, our affection, and ultimately our praise. And when we do that, something shifts inside of us… our faith increases, our vision expands, even in the darkness. When we come in close we can hear His heartbeat and feel His breath.
*Prompt: In what areas might God be nudging you to trust Him more? To cling to Him instead of your own striving? To be bold enough to sing to Him, even when it feels dark and scary? When we sing to Him, our gaze is upon Him. Our attention is upon Him. Our fears melt away and we become more who we were made to be… We become more free. Let Him carry you to good places today because He is worthy of our trust. He is worthy of our praise.