In the Shadow of Your Wing: Green Bough House of Prayer

In November, my wife and I went to the Green Bough House of Prayer, near Adrian, GA.

It is a beautiful place, hosted by Faye & Steve, both spiritual directors. It's a place of retreat, simplicity and silence--yet with concern for the world and social justice.

I arrived in a very fragmented state of being. Here is an excerpt from my Journal. The title of this post reflects a chant Steve sung at some of the evening worship times. It really centered me to draw my my attention to the constant truth that God's divine and loving presence is always with me.

"My heart has known little rest lately. Nor has it rested so fully in God as this week. I attribute this not to magical qualities of my location nor to any great power that I have. Instead, this place is oriented in such a way everything is oriented around, “Listen…”

Beautiful nature, simple and comfortable cell, simple meals, quiet everything, silence, and regular prayers, scriptures and songs in the chapel—all these come together as a recipie for listening.




My heart was initially calm, then became restless, and then calmed again. I figured out why I love back yards so much, why I love extended silence so much, and why I love chanting. All these things mediate God’s presence for me.

One thing I just can’t put words to is that my heart feels warm, truly peaceful, and relaxed. Those words don’t capture it. All I can say is sing, “In the shadow of your wing….I will sing for joy.”

Truly as the Chinese proverb says, “if a place a green bough on my heart, a bird will come rest on it.”

What am I doing to place the green bough in my heart daily so that the spirit will come and make home with me?

I have not known a time in recent memory that I wanted to read scripture—or sing, or pray or chant or read a book about prayer—especially without feeling anxious about doing so.

Evening prayer has been the most meaningful to me. I enter the chapel in silence. The room is dark, save the tea light below the Christ icon and next to the praying Mary statuette. A day is gone and past. A psalm. The Lord is with thee. A Prayer. The incense. Quiet. Sheer quiet. The sound of the presence of God. I enter through this pattern, into the shadow of God’s wing…lay for rest….and I am ready to turn over my body to sleep. What a wonderful way to punctuate one’s day and enclose one’s self with God’s presence. All have left…and I remain sitting…in silence…..no thoughts. No worries or anxieties. Merely resting in the shadow of God’s wing. It was as if I could sit there forever.

I have decided to take prayer more seriously and to create more sacred space in my daily routine. I almost fear doing this because I fear this experience losing its luster—yet that is what must happen for it to really become a deep experience. As Dr. Bondi said about prayer, when it becomes regular but less intense then you know you’re going into deeper waters because you’re acclimated."