“You must always be open to new experiences; by this means, your physical and etheric bodies will be brought into a condition which may be compared with the contented mood of a brooding hen.” – Rudolf Steiner
Last week I attended a conference called “Conspire,” an assembly of Christians called to deal particularly with injustices (racial, economic, etc.). The worship band sang a song entitled“Canopy,” which has still been ringing in my spirit. The lyrics were both unique and soothing, “May we dwell in Your tent, O Lord. May we dwell in Your tent, O God. Harbored by brooding wings, held in Your wide mercy, under Your canopy of love.” I was swept away by the music, and the idea of God as a harbor – a place of refuge, was just what I needed. The word BROODING was not only a word you don’t normally see in a song, but it’s generally used to imply deep unhappiness of thought that appears dark or menacing. But another definition for brooding is a bird, sitting on eggs to hatch them, or a hen nursing chicks under her wings.
King David, in his psalms, cried out to the LORD in his distress. In Psalm 17:8 he asks for protection, “Guard me as you would guard your own eyes. Hide me in the shadow of your wings.” When he fled from king Saul into the cave, “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until these calamities have passed by.” In Psalm 61, the basis of “Canopy”, he prays, “From the ends of the earth I call out to You whenever my heart is faint (overwhelmed); Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been my refuge, a tower of strength against the enemy. Let me dwell in Your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of Your wings.“ (vs. 1-4)
The image of the brooding hen ensuring the safety and protection of her
young, is a powerful one. Yet the same word describes both the negative attention we put into our worries and concerns…and the strong surveillance with which God takes care of us as His children. Imagine the ‘wings’ of God’s love safeguarding and defending you! Psalm 91:4 reassures us, “He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.” |
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