What Does “Desert Owl Among the Ruins” mean?

The image in Psalm 102 of an “owl among the ruins” speaks to my soul. While the ruins in the psalm refer to Jerusalem after the fall, I think about so many ruins in my own life: losing my mother when I was six. Not being able to become a mother. Contracting breast and lung cancer (as a nonsmoker) in middle age. In these and other difficult times, I take comfort and strength in the image of a powerful owl surveying the ruins and thriving despite the circumstances. Not all translations use “owl” in the psalter, and most don’t use “desert owl,” but that one is my favorite as someone from Phoenix, Arizona (now living and ministering in Virginia). Subscribe to get full access to the newsletter and website.