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bird, flight, fly, freedom of the sky, God's throne, never be alone, psalm 11, psalm 150, Psalm 23, psalm 89, The Sophia Center for Spirituality
Psalm 11 did not strike me as familiar this morning. It wasn’t like Psalm 23 or 89 or 150 whose words jump to my consciousness. The sentiments were not out of the ordinary for the psalmist – God’s throne in heaven, searching the just and the wicked, the upright seeing God’s face – eventually…but something made me search deeper. I was rewarded immediately upon seeing the title in one of the alternative translations. The whole psalm was easily recognizable there but it was the title that was key. When I read: Fly, Fly Away Like A Bird, I immediately began to sing a song by Ken Canedo that I first heard sung by Jesse Manibusan at a parish youth concert many years ago. Because it is both lyric and music that holds the fullness of the message, I recommend a trip to YouTube today for all of us. (I’ve already listened twice.) Absent that, below are the words of the chorus. For anyone who has ever wished for the gift of flight or watched the birds soar in the freedom of the sky, it is easy to feel the heart of the metaphor.
Fly like a bird to the Lord, my soul. I want to soar like an eagle. Though I may journey far away from home, I know I’ll never be alone.
The Sophia Center for Spirituality 