Singing and Clinging in the Shadows: Psalm 63:7-11

We finish today in safety and triumph! “Because You are my help, I sing in the shadow of Your wings. I cling to You. Your right hand upholds me…All who swear by God will glory in Him.”

It is good to embrace the imagery of God’s truths. I am so grateful when I encounter vivid images that God has abundantly sown in His relationships with people, and in His preserved Word. He has taken deliberate care to provide us with assistance in connecting with His divine nature.

Shadows are an interesting image. They can be either frightening, as they obscure the unwanted unknown, or they can be a place of hiding and safety. The shadowed place here, in which David sheltered is one of divine protection. David found comfort under the shadow of God’s wings. As he waited in the Judean Wilderness, surely it was difficult for this man of action, to be still. His “regular life” was on an enforced pause for a season. This can happen to anyone, at any time. Sometimes the seasons of pause are brief, and others seem unending.

David’s response to his pausing has much to teach us. He speaks in this psalm of seeking God, and thirsting after Him. In this season, he blesses God and calls upon His name. He meditates on Him and the memories of His past provision. And he sings with JOY in the shadows!

We, too, are gathered under God’s wings—a place of Holy Shelter. Jesus is a gatherer, and He reaches out to us always.

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Matthew 23:37-38

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:35

“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” John 7:37

Every gathering has a holy promise of spiritual protection, fulfillment, and holy rest.

David’s response in his desert wandering—as he pauses, as he rules, as he battles–is to cling to God. Cling. Stick with. Follow closely. While David’s specific trials likely don’t match our own, the feelings may, and the comfort does.

David closes out this psalm of praise with a rejoicing. He is confident in God’s divine character as provision of satisfaction, comfort, and protection.

We, too, can be confident of the same.

Today’s Ponderings

• Are there other scriptures of God as the Protective Gatherer of His people that come to your mind? 
• What are you singing today?

Be blessed in your paused seasons.