MISSIVE — MAY 2009

On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me (Psalm 63:6-8, NIV).

This psalm is too full of wonderful truths to expound on all its depths in one Missive, but I will attempt to highlight a couple of points that spoke to my heart as I read it.

The first is probably obvious. Many times, at least in my case, it is hard to go to sleep at night. These verses remind me of the many moments I have waited for sleep to come by thinking about life and my experience with the Lord. This may sound strange, but I think you can identify. We’ll be more successful in trying to get a good night’s sleep if we gravitate toward the Lord instead of worrying about other things.

The main point I want to bring to your attention is the expression, “I sing in the shadow of your wings.” Evidently the Psalmist, wherever he happened to be at the time, was refreshed by his fellowship with God and the renewed reminder that His right hand was upholding him. That gave him a reason for singing. The Psalmist sang often, and many of his songs are recorded in the Word. But this is a unique expression. He’s singing in the shadow of God’s wings. He says that his soul clings to God because God’s right hand upholds him.

Now please apply that to your own life today. We have a reason to sing-even in the midst of a sleepless night-when we are caught up in the strength and the power of God’s almighty hand. Even though we might feel weak, frustrated or in despair, just the thought of God’s strong upholding us in all the moments of life is enough to provoke a song in our heart.

We may not be able to sing like the Psalmist did, but the great truth of God’s strength and His everlasting concern for our every step is reason for us to rejoice. Think about it today. Almighty God, the Creator of heaven and earth, is the one holding us with the strength of His right hand.

AGWM Executive Director L. John Bueno