The Shelter of Your Wings

The Shelter of Your Wings

A Psalms By Kateb Nuri-Alim Shunnar

O Divine One, how excellent is Your name in all the silent groans of my heart.

You find me not only in song, but in my trembling.

You gather my broken pieces like pearls scattered on the floor of the sea,

And string me again into beauty.

You are the light behind my shadow,

The voice beneath my tears.

In the echo of the storm, it was You who whispered,

“Be still, I have not forgotten you.”

When I ran from myself,

You waited in the place I left behind

The holy hush of early morning,

The warmth of my grandmother’s lap,

The sacred hush in a room where mercy just walked in.

You are the fire that does not burn me,

The water that does not drown.

You are the deep hush after prayer,

The “yes” hidden in every “no” I thought would break me.

Even when I doubted You,

You believed in me.

Even when I cursed the dark,

You stood beside me, unmoved,

Lighting candles with invisible hands.

You heal with silence.

You hold with wind.

You shelter with wings unseen by eyes,

But not by spirit.

What fortress could be stronger than love that refuses to retreat?

What medicine greater than grace that knows my name?

O Creator of my stillness and storm,

I do not praise You because I must

I praise You because my soul bursts with the weight of knowing

That I am not alone.

Never was.

Thank You for being the God who sits with me

In both ruin and resurrection.

Thank You for making ashes bloom.

I will sing to You not just when the sun shines,

But when thunder crashes

Because You are not only the calm after,

But the purpose within.

You are the rhythm in my healing,

The breath that returns,

The whisper of eternity folded into now.

So I raise my hands, heavy with both sorrow and thanksgiving,

And I say:

You are good.

You are here.

You are forever