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"In Your Wings" by Matt Rees: From Crying Out to Joyful Praise


Matt Rees - In Your Wings

God hears you — even when your heart is too heavy to find the words. 

“In Your Wings” by Matt Rees draws directly from Psalm 61, and the journey it takes is one that we all know. A journey where we start broken and end with worshipping God. 

Matt wrote this song while he was visiting family in Indiana with his wife and children. The inspiration for this song during a rare moment alone in the sunshine. Matt shares: “I chose to take some time to read this Psalm and noodle a bit with my guitar, and in the process, this song is what came out.” The psalm that begins with David crying out — “Hear me, oh my God, pay attention to my prayer” — and ends with something entirely different. Not despair. Not silence. It ends with praise! That shift didn’t happen because David’s circumstances changed. It happened because God showed up. 

“In Your Wings” captures that movement beautifully. “Come and lead me to the rock that is higher than I” is the prayer of someone who knows they can’t climb out on their own. “I’m gonna live in Your tent forever and take shelter in Your wings.” That’s not wishful thinking but a decision! 

Matt wanted the second verse to point to Jesus, the Son of David, and so it does. “Oh my Jesus, King eternal, You prolong and bless my life.” That’s gratitude, and it also points to something bigger — a vision that stretches beyond one lifetime. “Let my children’s children praise You.” That’s generational faith. Roots going deep so the branches can grow wide. 

In Psalm 61:3–4 we read: “For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings.” That refuge is available to everyone today. Not someday, but right now! Bring all of your overwhelm, your unanswered prayers, your heavy heart — and take shelter in His wings. 

Go ahead and listen to “In Your Wings” and may it lead you from crying out to praise. “I’m gonna worship You in mercy and truth, I’m gonna praise Your name forever.”

(Related scripture: Psalm 61:3–4; Psalm 46:1; Psalm 102:12)

Background:

“In Your Wings” is written out of Psalm 61. It’s one of those Psalms that covers so much ground, and yet it starts out with a cry to God for help and ends with glorious praise. I was visiting family in Indiana with my wife and kids, and I had a rare moment alone in the sunshine. I chose to take some time to read this Psalm and noodle a bit with my guitar, and in the process, this song is what came out. It’s a paraphrase, and certainly not a scholarly translation of the Psalm.

King David, the psalmist here, calls on the Lord to hear him, and pay attention to his prayers. He cries out for help and to be led to the rock. Something in me was stirred by that open request to the Lord to be heard. Then as the Psalm goes on, it’s evident that something had shifted. The Lord hears him and preserves him. At the heart of it all is David’s declaration that he will and live in God’s tabernacle and trust in the shelter of His wings.

There are certainly some liberties taken in how I interpreted what would become the second verse, but I’m not a king like David, and I wanted this song to be about Jesus, the Son of David. And sort of organically, I wanted to thank Him for keeping me alive to see my children and hopefully I’ll be around to see my grandchildren. I think this song was the first time I really began to catch the theme of generational worship that is so central to my writing now.

As I shared this song with my family, it quickly became one of our favorites. It provides a wide open space to cry out to the Lord for help, but also to give him joyful praise in His mercy and truth. I hope “In Your Wings” blesses you as you listen.

Release date: June 13, 2026

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