Psalm 91:1
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High, will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
Have you ever been in a place that felt like a shadow season? A shadow is often vague,
unrecognizable, and dark. Life can mirror that in many ways. An interruption, a traumatic event, an illness, an obstacle, or simply life just threw you a curve ball and everything feels uncertain.
If you put two shadows next to one another, you may not be able to distinguish many details from them. Yes, you may be able to decipher outlines, sense familiarity of the shapes present, but you may not be able to really get a clear picture. Often, those shapes and outlines are distorted dependent on the angle of the sun. They are not always accurate to height, depth, width, or actual measurements. Simply put, it feels vague. Are you in a season where you recognize or sense God but feel your circumstances make him feel distant? Maybe the shadow season has distorted your view of God’s character and you are questioning if He is still good. Is it possible the disappointment of the shadow season has called you to question whether He still is there or why He feels more silent than usual? Does God feel farther away because of the distorted views of the shadow? Are you seeing the correct measurements of His character, goodness, and grace?
Let me remind you of what is needed for any shadow to be present, a light source and an
object. Light rays travel in straight lines but when an object is present and the light rays cannot pass through, a shadow is cast. Psalms 91:1 gives us a picture of what it means to rest in the “shadow” of the Almighty. If life feels uncertain and/or your perspective of God’s presence feels distant or vague right now, how can you “rest” even there? I believe the principles of Psalms desires to teach us in those shadow seasons. First, I can rest knowing that there must be proximity to light for a shadow season. Just because I feel a season of shadow doesn’t mean the light isn’t close. In fact, the opposite is true. The shadow must have a light source like the sun present. In many ways, the consistency of the light (sun) rising and setting daily is something you can count on. It is dependable, reliable, consistent, and faithful. Psalms reminds us that resting in the shadow of the Almighty results from knowing and dwelling with the proximity of the Son, Emmanuel, God with us, and within us. This is the dwelling presence of the Most High. You cannot know the rest in the shadow of the Almighty without the dwelling in the shelter of the Most High. Dwelling in the shelter of the Most High is a promise for those who are prepared to put their trust in God. As Christians today, we have the promise of the Holy Spirit to dwell in us through faith in Jesus Christ. Romans 8:11 says “If the Spirit of him who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you”. What a promise for those who are in relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. Because of this, we can boldly come to the throne of grace and dwell in His presence. The word “dwell” is to live or stay as a permanent residence. In other words, it is “home”. To dwell is not just visiting or vacationing there occasionally. It is a permanent place. It is not just an occasional relationship or a Sunday only access. “Home” is a permanent place of residence and provides a consistent, reliable, dependable shelter. Have you made the Most High your permanent dwelling place?
We will never learn to rest in the shadows of life or even in the shadow moments with the Lord if you do not know the certainty of His dwelling place. The promise for rest in the shadow is only a result of the confidence of the dwelling place, your permanent place of shelter. Psalms gives us insight into the mystery of rest even in uncertain seasons through faith and this access to peace and rest is found only in relationship to
Emmanuel, God with us.