Read: Psalm 63:1-11
For you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. (vv. 7-8)
It’s no secret that kids can be clingy. We’ve all seen it during Sunday coffee hour or some other social gathering. You walk over to a family to say hello and suddenly the kids are looking at the floor and tugging on their parent’s shirts. The toddlers are wrapping their arms around their parent’s legs. The babies are burying their faces into their parent’s shoulders. Whether they’re shy, scared, tired, or just bored, children instinctively turn to the ones they love and trust for comfort and support.
The psalmist reflects on how we respond to the Lord with this same tender, childlike behavior. As a loving Father, he helps and comforts us. He draws us to himself and protects us, “as a hen gathers her brood under her wings” (Matt. 23:37). Not with our arms but with our very souls, we cling to him, because we know that he is our rock and our refuge.
“Your right hand upholds me,” sings the psalmist (v. 8). I’m reminded of a photo I recently framed for our wall. In it, my husband holds out his hand to support our daughter as she learns to stand and take her first hesitant steps. She’s looking up at him with a wide-eyed smile. The psalmist puts us in my daughter’s place. With a joyful smile, we reach to God’s outstretched hand as we learn to stand and walk with him. —Elise Johnson
As you pray, praise the Lord for his faithful, fatherly love.
About the Author
Elise Johnson is a creative writer and professional communications consultant living in Toronto, Canada with her husband Andrew, an Anglican priest, and her daughter Beatrice. Her writing explores life as a new mom, being a minister’s wife, and more.
