Hide Me in the Shadow of Your Wings

This one was written by G-pa

I love the song, “You Are My Hiding Place” written by Michael Ledner in 1980. The verse comes from Psalm 56, “whenever I am afraid, I will trust in you.” When David wrote Psalm 17, he had the same thought in mind. He was seeking protection from his enemies who were pressing in all around him. So, he prayed, “Show your wonderful mercy, you who deliver with your right arm those who seek refuge from their foes. Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.” (Psalms 17:7-8)

In itself, a shadow may not be much of a hiding place, but this is God’s shadow. In it one finds safety, warmth, peace, and hope. “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, who abides in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the LORD, ‘My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.’ For he will deliver you… and under his wings you will find refuge” (Psalms 91:1-4).

In Matthew 23:37b, Jesus is mourning the unfaithfulness of the people of Jerusalem when he says, “how many times I yearned to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her young under her wing, but you were unwilling.” Jesus felt that protective instinct of a mother hen who hides her chicks under her wings when danger is near. In doing that, she draws them close to her heart, and they feel safe and warm in their feathered hiding place.

A few years ago, I found myself facing a powerful enemy; a kind of spiritual depression seemed to be taking control of my life. I was losing sight of God, letting my prayer life slip, forgetting to be thankful for the good life He had given me. I felt like one of those chicks, needing to be protected. I tried to overcome it on my own, but I couldn’t. Finally, I sought the advice of a spiritual director who helped me realize how much God loves me and wants to help me by holding me close to His heart and hiding me in the “shadow of his wings.”

God has given us so many ways to seek His help. We have Mary our Mother who will comfort us and intercede for us. I go to Mary now more than ever to ask for her intercession. We also have our guardian angels. People don’t seem to depend on guardian angels for help like they did when I was a child; but God gave them to us for a reason, as the prayer says: “to light and guard, to rule and guide.” Psalm 91:11 reminds us that, “He will give his angels charge of you to guard you in all your ways.”

Our first defense against any enemy is prayer, asking God to protect us. We may seek the intercession of our Blessed Mother or the protection of our guardian angels, but it is God Himself who covers us and protects us. And we can rest secure in the safety we find in the shadow of His wings. “Show your wonderful mercy… hide me in the shadow of your wings (Psalm 17:7-8).

Psalm 56:3, “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.”

KEEP READING

Psalms 91: 1-2,4, 11 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High,
    who abides in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress;
    my God, in whom I trust” …and under his wings you will find refuge. For he will give his angels charge of you
    to guard you in all your ways.
“You are My Hiding Place” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElVC6rfX3Z8
“On Eagles Wings” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9zEgRsorZ4
The Lament over Jerusalem. Matthew 23:37-3
“For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent, he will set me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies round about me; and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord.” Psalms 27:5-6