Psalm 131:2a
By Pam Burton
“Surely I have composed and quieted my soul”
In the evenings before drifting off to sleep as a child, I fondly remember the calming coos of the mourning doves in the palm trees outside my window. This memory was brought back to mind recently when I heard that same soothing cooing, and yet forlorn sound, of the mourning dove.
The gentleness and cooing of the mourning dove was not interrupted by the whistles and squawks of the parrots or the caws and clicks of the crows or even the chirruping of the sparrows.
The calm gentle cooing continued despite the cacophony of the noisy chorus.
The verses that came to mind were Matthew 10:16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.” and Philippians 2:15 “ that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world.”
A song came to mind from long ago.
Written in 1946 by E.L. Slavens and Ira Stanphill called, “You can have a Melody in your Heart”.
The chorus is what I remember best: “You can have a song in your heart in the night. After every trial, after every mile. Anyone can sing when the sun is shining bright, but you need a song in your heart at the night.” Let us all remember our calling and the strength that God provides moment by moment despite what is happening in the world around us.
May we still be singing no matter what!