On Eagle's Wings

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On Eagle's Wings
"On Eagle's Wings" is a well-known hymn that praises the uplifting presence of the Lord in our lives. The lyrics are inspired greatly by scripture, based on Psalm 91, Book of Exodus 19, and the Gospel of Matthew 13. Find how the first stanza and chorus reference the Bible below and the story of its author Michael Joncas.

 You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord
Who abide in His shadow for life
Say to the Lord, "My refuge, my rock in whom I trust!"

The first stanza is a reference to Psalm 91:1-2, which says "Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."

And He will raise you up on eagles' wings
Bear you on the breath of dawn
Make you to shine like the sun
And hold you in the palm of His hand

The chorus mentions that God will raise you on eagles wings as referenced in Exodus 19:4, "You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself."

Songwriters Michael Joncas Published by © 1979, OCP Publications

The Story Behind On Eagle's Wings

"On Eagle's Wings" is a devotional Hymn created by Michael Joncas. Joncas penned the song in the late 1970s. It was recorded in 1979, with Douglas Hall as a producer, distributed by North American Liturgy Resources and later acquired by New Dawn Music, a subsidiary of Oregon Catholic Press. It has become celebrated as a thoughtful Hymn at Catholic masses as well as at Mainline Protestant services.

It is now performed during services of many Christian denominations, including Pentecostal churches, and was performed at many of the funerals of victims of September 11. It is often played either at the beginning or the ending of a Roman Catholic funeral Mass. It has been performed at many internationally broadcast papal Masses, was selected as part of the 2007 funeral Mass for Luciano Pavarotti in Modena, Italy, also broadcast internationally.

Fr. Joncas has stated that his choice for the title would be "On Eagle's Wings," meaning that the wings belong to a single eagle as a comparison for God, but he said he could make a case for the plural "On Eagles' Wings," since many wings would be needed to lift up the many people in covenant with God.

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