Stay in the Shadow

Remember playing shadow
tag when you were a kid?



The goal was to stomp on someone's shadow and put them out of the game. The trick was catching a shadow that can move faster than anything. You had to pay close attention to the light source and where that shadow might appear next or you didn't fare very well.

As a child, I liked to walk closely beside my tall dad, trying to keep my shadow hidden inside his. I had to watch the ground and keep step or my shorter shadow would suddenly peek out from his.

That's the picture the psalmist paints in Psalm 91 when he tells us that "he who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, abides in the shadow of the Almighty."

How do you abide in a shadow?

You pay close attention to the light source and where the shadow is going. If you get distracted by something else you will most certainly get out of the shadow. Your shorter one will peek out and mess everything up.

When we abide in the shadow of the Almighty, we are assured of His constant presence, protection, and pleasure. That's what the Apostle Paul had in mind when he wrote "for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." (Col. 3:3)

God's goal for each of His children is that we cast no shadow of our own. We stay hidden in His. When we allow our shadow to peek out, we are most likely trying to glorify ourselves and we are missing His plan for us.

God's promises are for those who choose to keep their shadows hidden inside His. When He moves, we move. When He turns abruptly, we scamper to follow suit or we get left out in the sun. When He stops, we stop. And wait on the Lord.

So, are you filling your life with things that enlarge your shadow?Or are you abiding in the shadow of the Almighty?