“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.‘”
Psalm 91:1-2
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I could bask in the warmth of this all day.
Like sunny beams piercing through clouds to heat my cheeks, this passage warms my soul.
A Most High who is a shelter. In all of life’s storms.
A Lord who is a refuge…a fortress. In the face of every single enemy.
A God upon whom we can recklessly cast the full weight of our…everything — because we can trust Him.
Amazing to ponder.
Even more amazing to experience.
More than poetic metaphors, this verse can be reality.
It can be the real-life experience of you and me and all Christ-followers everywhere.
How?
The secret is in the middle.
You and I will live this truth IF…
we abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
What does this mean?
Let’s consider the word “shadow.” Any Kindergartener could affirm that an object in another’s shadow must be smaller than the object casting the shadow. It is an impossibility for me to be in my six-year-old son’s shadow until he grows to be taller than me.
And in much the same way, I can’t properly enjoy the Safe Haven who is my God until I realize my smallness and realize His bigness.
Because it’s really not about making Him big and making myself small. He already IS the biggest, and I already AM the smallest. So when I try to pridefully puff myself up or arrogantly inflate my importance or stubbornly seize the reins of my life,
not only am I depriving myself of the joy and peace that accompanies shadow-living…
but I’m also lying to myself atrociously.
It would be like positioning myself in front of a carnival fun house mirror…
and then behaving as though the distorted image reflected there is reality.
Because here’s the truth:
He’s the biggest. And I’m the smallest.
Any good I do is only and always because of Him.
Any truth I speak is only and always because of Him.
Any gentleness I extend is only and always because of Him.
Any wisdom I exercise is only and always because of Him.
Any love I share is only and always because of Him.
And when we learn to accept this and even embrace this and perhaps even delight in this…
when we realize that His glory is always, ALWAYS for our good…
when we stop fighting against His divine hand in all its mysteriously beautiful forms…
even when it’s hard, and even when it hurts, and even when it seems to cost us everything…
that’s when we start to catch a glimpse of shadow living.
And once we are gifted with that first glance…there’s a very good chance we just might want to set up camp for a while.
And that’s called abiding.
Will you pitch your tent with me there?
Jennifer,
Beautifully said! I needed this perspective today. Thank-you so much for sharing this. I am going to have to reread, again and again…❤️
Blessings and love,
M
I’m so glad this encouraged you today! Thank you for stopping by, and for sharing how this touched your heart. May our Lord bless you!
Thank you for your encouragement and teachings. I am struggling with my 13 year old and the priorities over busyness of time. We used to do our Bible time weekly and it’s been .months. He keeps asking when we will do it and I am always tired or busy with home stuff. He is really drawn to the worldly things but he has been saved since he was 4 and knows the Bible from beginning to the end. I need to learn how to prioritize my days.
Hello, Cheryl! Thank you for reading and for sharing some of your experience. It sounds as though God is nudging your heart in this area, and I will pray that God will grant you the desire and strength to obey.