Living in the Shadow of God

UV 3441/10000 Living in the Shadow of God



He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will remain secure and rest in the shadow of the Almighty (whose power no enemy can withstand)



Psalm 91 v 1



The shadow of a person is the most insubstantial part or facet of him or her. In fact, it is not real but only a reflection of an object on the ground. Yet why does the Psalmist David refer to the shadow of the Almighty for He is also invisible and He is pure Light that cannot cast any shadow? It implies that even the shadow of the Almighty God is more real, substantial and powerful than even a solid fortress or any array of weapons that the enemy can organize against us. The shadow is always bigger than a person. The Almighty occupies the highest and most important place in one’s heart. Since He is pure Light and there is no darkness in Him, He overshadows us in all of our ways. The shadow follows a person faithfully wherever he goes. Likewise, the Lord follows us and watches over us day and night.



Since God is pure Light and Jesus defined Himself as the Light of the World, to live in the shadow of God is to live in absolute light. The shadow of the Lord is His presence, unseen but real that accompanies us wherever we go and whatever we do. We cannot hide from it even if we ascend the skies or descend to the bottom of the sea. We need to in fact, hide in His presence constantly, dwell or reside continually in Him so that He presides over our lives. He is a trap buster. He covers us under the pinions of His wings of prayer and the word. We are absolutely secure and safe, ensconced under Him. No weapon can prosper or develop against us without His knowledge or permission. He protects us from unknown and known threats and enemies, from visible and invisible ones. He preserves us from death till it is our appointed hour and after that gives us eternity as a reward and prize for our faith. We need not fear any evil or disease or foe. To live in the shadow of God is to continually resort to drawing wisdom from Him, power from Him, grace from Him, mercy from Him for our offences, big or small.



Like a shadow, He is not intrusive or obstructive. He gives us the freedom to choose what we wish to do with our time, our resources, our opportunities. But He remains at arm’s distance or only a prayer away. He is closest to us in our troubles and afflictions. He helps us deal and overcome open assaults like that of a lion and subtle, deceitful attacks as of a serpent. He rewards us with both long life on Earth and eternal life in Heaven. He rescues us and honours us in the course of our lifetime. We can always find our rest in His presence. His word and the Holy Spirit comfort us in our difficult hours. His presence turns these difficulties into blessings. He induces and infuses His strength and His power to enable us to surmount these challenges so that we emerge wiser, stronger, better at the end of our struggles.