Psalm 91 and the image of shelter and shadow led me to this prayer by Pádraig Ó Tuama...
And friends as we pray today, let us remember our siblings on the Gulf Coast as Hurricane Laura makes landfall.
A prayer of shelter and shadow
Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireas na daoine.
It is in the shelter of each other that the people live.
It is in the shadow of each other that the people live.
We know that sometimes we are alone
And sometimes we are in community.
Sometimes we are in shadow,
and sometimes we are surrounded by shelter.
Sometimes we feel like exiles –
in our land, in our languages and in our bodies.
And sometimes we feel surrounded by welcome.
As we seek to be human together,
may we share the things that do not fade:
Generosity, truth telling, silence, respect and love.
And may the power we share
be for the good of all.
We honour God, the source of this rich life.
And we honor each other, story – full and lovely.
Whether in our shadow or in our shelter,
we live well
and fully
with each other. Amen!
Psalm 91
Assurance of God’s Protection
You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.’ For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence; he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, or the arrow that flies by day, or the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the destruction that wastes at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only look with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your dwelling-place, no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.
Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name. When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honour them. With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation.