Generally, "in the shadow" is not a
place we want to find ourselves. If we are in someone's
shadow, the connotation is that we are overlooked or
under-recognized while someone else gets all the
attention and recognition. Shadows, as in dark alleys,
are places of danger where robbers or drug dealers lurk.
The shadows are places where society's outcast dwell,
under freeway overpasses living in cardboard shanties.
Even in Scripture shadows are depicted as dark places,
as in the shadow of the valley of death in Psalm 23. So
why is the psalmist encouraging us to abide in a
shadow? We'll apply two "shadow-abiding" rules to sort
it all out. It is great and glorious indeed to abide in
the shadow of the Lord!
Abiding in the shadow - Rule
#1
"Abiding in" by "abiding
by"
To "abide in" means to
remain, continue, stay. In other words, to abide in
the Lord, is to always stay close to the Lord. The
first part of our passage also provides a definition of
sorts - to "abide in" is to "dwell in." In both parts of
the passage, closeness to God is the key. The cool thing
about staying close to the Lord is that it is
always reciprocated. When we abide in Him, he
abides in us (see John 15:1-9)! He never abandons
us in our efforts to stay close to Him.
We will never hear Him say, "Your efforts at
closeness are not good enough, I'll have to leave
you, you don't measure up."
So how do we stay close to the
Lord? We glue ourselves to Him! The
glue that holds us close to God is
love demonstrated by obedience. Here's where the "abiding
by" part comes in. To "abide by" means to act in
accord with, agree to, to remain faithful to. Our truest
expression of love for God is our obedience to His commandments
(see John 15:10). God loves us and when we return
that love, we choose closeness with God.
Abiding in the shadow - Rule
#2
Pay less attention to the shadow and
more attention to that which casts it.
In Psalm 91
and elsewhere in scripture, we see a lot of important shadow
casters that reveal it is indeed a good thing to
be in the shadow of the Almighty.
The fortress (see Psalm
91:2)
God's fortress casts a
big shadow. A fortress is a place of refuge
from attack. We all feel
under attack at times. There are times when
we encounter enemies we can't face down
alone. When you get right down to it,
most enemies we face are those that we
can't effectively defeat on our own. In those times God's fortress
is the place to retreat to. The gate of God's
fortress is opened by a key - trust in God. With this
key you can always retreat to His fortress and be
safe and protected from anything you face.
His wings (see Psalm 91:4)
The
image of the wings of an eagle covering over
her young is often used
to illustrate God's love and protection for us.
Have you ever been out in the
hot sun on a scorching summer day? Didn't
you long for a covering? A nice shady
place provides respite from the oppressive heat and burning rays of
the sun. Sometimes the heat of life's challenges just gets
too hot to face. The shadow of God's wings can protect
us when the rays of life are too hot for
us. God's wings cast a cooling shadow.
The cross (see John
15:13, Colossians 2:13-14)
If we abide in the shadow of the
cross we experience His great
love for us, that He would endure the
pain and suffering of the cross, to
pay the penalty for our sins. In the
shadow of the cross, we are not condemned,
but forgiven! He has paid the price! As we strive for
Christ-likeness in our lives, we will fall short. He's already
paid. Abiding in the shadow of the cross will always remind
us that there is no shame, just brushing ourselves off
and trying it again. He's already paid.
The stone that rolled away
(see Luke 24:1-8, 2 Corinthians 5:1, Philippians
3:14)
If we abide in the shadow of the stone
that rolled away, we can rejoice! We know a
resurrection day is assured for each of us! No
matter what the predicament of
the moment may be - pain, suffering, disappointment,
loneliness, illness, addiction, you name it -
a resurrection day is coming! Abiding in the
shadow of the stone that rolled away will
always remind us that no matter how damaged or outcast we
may become on this earth, we will one day be
brought into His presence and into fellowship with all the saints,
past, present, and future worshipping Him in His eternal Kingdom
forever! Which brings us to. . .
The tree of life (see Genesis
2:9, Revelation 22:2)
In God's original paradise, Eden, grew the tree
of life. In God's next paradise, the
new heaven and the new earth, the tree
of life will be growing. If we abide
in the shadow of the Almighty, in the shadow of His
fortress, in the shadow of His wings, in the shadow
of the cross, in the shadow of the stone that rolled
away, then we will forever stand in the shadow of
the tree of life. That's the truth.
If you dwell in
the shelter of the Most High, if you
choose to abide in the Lord, if you
choose to abide by the Lord's commandments, then
you can abide in the shadow of the
Almighty. In the shadow of the Almighty,
you will be in the protective shadow of
his fortress; you will be shielded by
the shadow of His wings; you will know
forgiveness in the shadow of the cross;
you will rejoice in the shadow of the
stone rolled away; you will forever
dwell in the shadow of the tree of life!
That's the
YouTruth. You
Can
Abide in the Shadow of the Almighty.
