Day 7: Encamping Angel
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them (Psalm 34:7).
The vision of the divine presence ever takes the form which our circumstances most require. David’s then need was safety and protection. Therefore he saw the Encamping Angel; even as to Joshua the leader He appeared as the Captain of the Lord’s host; and as to Isaiah, in the year that the throne of Judah was emptied by the death of the earthly king, was given the vision of the Lord sitting on a throne, the King Eternal and Immortal.
So to us all His grace shapes its expression according to our wants... being to one man wisdom, to another strength, to the solitary companionship, to the sorrowful consolation, to the glad sobering, to the thinker truth, to the worker practical force—to each his heart’s desire, if the heart’s delight be God.
So manifold are the aspects of God’s infinite sufficiency, that every soul, in every possible variety of circumstance, will find there just what will suit it. That armour fits every man who puts it on. That deep fountain is like some of those fabled springs which give forth whatsoever precious draught any thirsty lip asked.
He takes the shape that our circumstances most need. Let us see that we, on our parts, use our circumstances to help us in anticipating the shapes in which God will draw near for our help.
~ Alexander MacLaren's Expositions of Holy Scriptures
Psalm 34:7 reminds me of a song from my childhood. It was a favorite on The Lollipop Show, a regional Caribbean children's show that was broadcast out of Barbados every Saturday morning.
Hymnary.org attributes authorship of this song to Otis Leon McCoy (February 17, 1897 – March 27, 1995). Classified as an African-American spiritual, it has been performed by many famous artists, including Ray Charles, who sang it at the funeral of Sam Cooke.
Below is a link to a children's version similar to the one played on The Lollipop Show. What a wonderful faith-builder in the truth that the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him...
Feel free to check out other versions on YouTube!
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