Tuesday of the Third Week in Lent

Every family needs a theme hymn.  Ours began at my sister’s wedding.  We have sung “You Who Dwell in the Shelter of the Lord” at weddings, baptisms, confirmations, installations, funerals, and ordinations.   
I suppose I was first drawn to this hymn because of the shared experience with my sister hiking in the Rockies with other Lutheran youth on an outdoor ministry called “Escape Week.”  It was always an arduous backpacking experience complete with soaring eagles and a multitude of stones to dash one’s foot upon.  We learned quickly that “even youth shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted.”  But we also learned to wait upon the Lord who shall renew strength and, for a week, we ate and lived and worked and had our being in “the shelter of the Most High”.
 
The mountain image of dwelling in the shelter of the Lord, our refuge and fortress, continued to follow us into our subsequent lives and callings.  We sought to pass on the faith to our children and to abide in the shadow of the Almighty for life. 

Psalm 91 seems to accurately describe the reality of life in the valley. While perhaps at times this psalm may seem a little dark, I always found comfort in the fact that no matter how deep the shadows, God is there as shelter and refuge and fortress. My grandfather described it as the “watch care” of the Most High.
 
And yet the psalmist provides a corrective to what might be considered a “distant” God in verse 4. When the shadows grow too deep, or when we succumb to the terrors of the night, or when we are overwhelmed by our own weariness, we are gathered under His wings. Those wings are our refuge. Now, the wings of a majestic eagle may not seem as cuddly as a hen that gathers her brood, but there sure is a sense of refuge under the wings of an eagle. This sense of refuge is magnified by the comfort and trust in the very One who is faithful, whose very faithfulness toward us is our shield.  Such mindfulness sustains us on our journey.
 
In this season of Lent, as we reflect upon our sin that drove Christ to the cross, there might arise some challenges for us in the imagery of the psalm with respect to “abiding in the shadow of the Almighty”. How shall we flee to, and not away from, the shadow of the Almighty? How shall we find refuge under the wings of the majestic eagle, under the pinions so close to the talons?  

I am reminded of the words of a wise professor: “when God points his finger, don’t run away, flee to him.”  So are the words of the old liturgy, “Wherefore we flee for refuge to thine infinite mercy, seeking and imploring thy grace…”  

Finally, the psalm points us to Christ, “the serpent you will trample underfoot.” By His death for us, in His infinite mercy, Christ has indeed trampled the serpent who bruised His heel, and ours.

Prayer: O God, our refuge and strength, when the shadows of life overtake us, reminds us that we also abide in Your shadow for life.  As we are awed by Your majesty, help us also to learn to draw near for refuge under Your wings.  Bear us on the breath of dawn, make us to shine like sun, and hold us in the palm of Your hand; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Devotion written by The Rev. Kevin Ree