In the shadow
Psalm 91:1 "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty."
The image of the shadow is a pretty common one, I think. The shadow of his wings, living in the shadow of the cross, etc. I've heard it a lot but never really stopped to consider what it meant.
A couple months ago we were at the beach. Aiden did what he always does at the beach, runs around like crazy. The only problem was that it was a hot day and he didn't have any sunscreen, and the kid has very fair skin and I didn't want him to burn. Kate went to find the sunscreen, but it took a little while to walk all the way back to the car to get it.
In the meantime, I followed Aiden around wherever he went and cast my shadow over him. If you know my son at all, you know that is a difficult thing to do. If he ever holds still for 5 consecutive seconds it is a miracle. But I didn't want him to get sunburn, so I followed and tried to keep him in the shade as best I could.
That's the only real frame of reference I have to this whole shadow concept, resting in the shadow of the almighty. What does it mean?
1 - I kept Aiden a little cooler. He was more comfortable in the shade than in the hot sun. I provided something for him that he could not provide in his own.
2 - As long as he was in my shadow, it meant I was close by and he was safe. When he wandered into the waves, I was there. When he ran through the beach grass, I was right there with him. Having my shadow meant having me always close by.
3 - I stood in between him and whatever threat he was facing, in this case the sun. Whatever danger there was in getting sunburn I absorbed in my own skin in order to protect his.
I think its that third one that strikes me the most, thought the other two certainly still apply. But especially when I hear the phrase "the shadow of the cross." Living in the cross's shadow means that whatever threat is facing me, the cross is between me and it. It's like the world is coming at me, unloading everything it has to try to trip me up, and the cross takes the heat. It absorbs the danger and the punishment so that I can rest someplace cool and comfortable.
That's the gospel in a nutshell. As long as we look up and see the shadow of the cross, we know we're in the right place.
The image of the shadow is a pretty common one, I think. The shadow of his wings, living in the shadow of the cross, etc. I've heard it a lot but never really stopped to consider what it meant.
A couple months ago we were at the beach. Aiden did what he always does at the beach, runs around like crazy. The only problem was that it was a hot day and he didn't have any sunscreen, and the kid has very fair skin and I didn't want him to burn. Kate went to find the sunscreen, but it took a little while to walk all the way back to the car to get it.
In the meantime, I followed Aiden around wherever he went and cast my shadow over him. If you know my son at all, you know that is a difficult thing to do. If he ever holds still for 5 consecutive seconds it is a miracle. But I didn't want him to get sunburn, so I followed and tried to keep him in the shade as best I could.
That's the only real frame of reference I have to this whole shadow concept, resting in the shadow of the almighty. What does it mean?
1 - I kept Aiden a little cooler. He was more comfortable in the shade than in the hot sun. I provided something for him that he could not provide in his own.
2 - As long as he was in my shadow, it meant I was close by and he was safe. When he wandered into the waves, I was there. When he ran through the beach grass, I was right there with him. Having my shadow meant having me always close by.
3 - I stood in between him and whatever threat he was facing, in this case the sun. Whatever danger there was in getting sunburn I absorbed in my own skin in order to protect his.
I think its that third one that strikes me the most, thought the other two certainly still apply. But especially when I hear the phrase "the shadow of the cross." Living in the cross's shadow means that whatever threat is facing me, the cross is between me and it. It's like the world is coming at me, unloading everything it has to try to trip me up, and the cross takes the heat. It absorbs the danger and the punishment so that I can rest someplace cool and comfortable.
That's the gospel in a nutshell. As long as we look up and see the shadow of the cross, we know we're in the right place.
posted by Jeff at 8:59 AM
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