MY GOD, IN WHOM I TRUST
The one who dwells in God alone,
And ever makes the Lord His home,
Will know the shelter of the throne
And constantly abide.
Refrain
So I will sing out to the Lord,
“You are my refuge evermore,
And all my hope is in Your Word—
My God, in whom I trust.”
Beneath His wings I safely hide,
Securely resting at His side.
No threat by day, no fear by night,
When God’s my dwelling place.
Amid the darkness I still stand
Upheld by His almighty hand,
And angels sent at His command
Will guard me on my way.
So I will cling to Him in love.
He satisfies me from above
With lasting life, and thus will prove
His saving power in me.
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REFLECTION
I was unable to get to sleep one Saturday night before preaching this text in the morning. I was restless because it was the first Sunday where our congregation would not be meeting in-person due to COVID-19 restrictions. I chose this text, with its wonderful promises of God’s protection, hoping it would be a comfort to the people of God. My insomnia proved I clearly needed it to be a comfort to me as well. As I lay awake in bed I began to mull over the words and put them to metrical verse. Stanza 1 corresponds to verse 1 of the Psalm, stanza 2 verses 3-6, stanza 3 verses 7-11, and stanza 4 the conclusion of verses 14-16. Verse 2 of the original text seemed a fitting refrain. The tune, composed by my friend and collaborator Jared M. Salyards, draws out the lilting, consoling meter of the text, and the sturdy quarter notes remind us that God is our unshakeable refuge. Written during “shelter-in-place” orders for many states in the US, the tune is fittingly named “SATAR” which is Hebrew for “shelter,” which the Psalm promises us God to be for His people: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”
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