In the Shadow

When playing outside on hot days, children look for cool, shady spots because shade provides protection from the sun. A Psalmist used that image when he wrote, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will aide in the shadow of the Almighty.”(Ps. 91:1 ASB)

Imagine the heat of the day in Palestine. The psalmist says that when the struggles of life are overwhelming—like the relentless heat of a hot noonday sun—God offers a place of rest.

Then the Psalmist offers more images. There’s the eagle who shelters her young under her wings. And the angels who carry people across rocky canyons so they receive no injury.

The images offer great comfort because they remind us of the times He’s been with us in the past. Then we remember that He’ll be with us now and in the future, offering His shade, providing His shelter, and carrying us when we’re prone to stumble.

Originally published August 19, 1983.