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ON EAGLE’S WINGS
You who dwell in
the shelter of the Lord, who abide in this shadow for life,
say to the Lord
“My refuge, my rock in whom I trust.”
Refrain
“And I will raise
you up on eagle’s wings, bear you on the breath of dawn,
make you to shine
like the sun, and hold you in the palm of my hand.”
Snares of the
fowler will never capture you, and famine will bring you no fear,
under God’s wings
your refuge with faithfulness your shield. (Refrain)
For to the angels
God’s given a command to guard you in all of your ways;
upon their hands
they will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.
(Refrain)
Text: Michael
Joncas, b. 1951
Used by
permission. © 1979 OCP Publications, 5536 NE Hassalo, Portland,
OR 97213 All rights reserved.
Last October, my
73-year-old father died of lung cancer. The cancer first appeared
in March. After he underwent extensive treatments, it was said to
be gone. It was not. Cancer was discovered again in late
September. He went downhill quickly and died surrounded by all of
his children.
His death felt
like a cruel betrayal —
he had suffered so much and appeared to make it, only to be
brought down again and taken from us.
So I sat in the
pew of my father’s church in Topeka for his funeral. It was great
that many people had come to pay tribute to him, but still… I had
already cried many tears, and I hoped I could make it through the
funeral without losing it. I was doing OK. Then, the service
closed with “On Eagle’s Wings.”
This hymn — with its lovely, simple melody and inspiring lyrics
— has always moved me. Now, it lifted me out of my sorrow and
brought me to the best hope of that hard day.
It assured me
that my father had been raised up, as on eagle’s wings, and was
now in the palm of God’s hand. So here, in a church not my own,
that hymn made me feel at home. I grieved that day
—
and I still do on occasion — but “On Eagle’s Wings” reminded me that my father’s
death was not the end of the story. It carries on.
Dear Lord, you
are with us in times wonderful and hard, always sheltering us with
your love, until that day that you take us in your hand. Thank you
for such wonderful love.
Ken Hobart
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