“On Eagles’ Wings,” WOV 779
Devotion
One summer day, my grandchildren and I watched a mother eagle teach her chick to fly. Whenever the young eagle appeared tired, the mother eagle would swoop beneath the youngster and hold it aloft until it was ready to trust its own wings again.
The writers of Exodus 19:3-6 and Psalm 91:1-13 must have seen a sight like that. These texts are the basis for today’s beautiful and popular hymn, written by a Roman Catholic priest in the 1970s. The Exodus text is a core confessional passage that declares God’s saving acts and the vocation of God’s people resulting from God’s saving acts. The second passage is Psalm 91:1-13, which is quoted or closely paraphrased in the hymn.
What a beautiful picture of God’s sustaining grace for our daily flights toward discipleship.
Prayer
Our God, we thank you that your goodness and grace have sustained us, and that your supporting wings support us on our journey as your disciples. Amen.