As I look out over a snow-covered backyard, there are elongated shadows over everything.  The moon is bright and the forest behind casts its tree silhouettes to give the impression of sketches on the white surface. It’s beautiful, especially since the images of shadows spell out lessons in my head. We play with shadows – children jumping around trying to step on each other’s shadows.  We tell stories with hand gestures in shadows on the wall.

Every now and then, I have to admit, an attack of fear hits me hard.  I woke up the other night with that distinct tightening in my inner being and the next day felt the well-known clutches of evil over my mind.  Discernment on such an attack is exactly what rushes me to Scripture with a righteous hunger — greedy for the power-words of comfort and promise.

We are comfortable with a person who is treading his own footprint through life.  It is necessary to calculate earnings and progress with certainty and confidence.  In the process, you cast a shadow (your influence and style) over your workplace and family, circle of friends, and environment.  Such a sphere of influence is part of every human being and it is good to think about it. Jabez’s prayer about the enlargement of his territory and God’s blessing on his life are comparable. (1 Chronicles 4:10)

The first words of Psalm 91, my fear-remedy, struck me deeply.  

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty  (NIV)

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand]. (Amplified)

Dwelling indicates a place to live. It’s a resting place, a safe, relaxing place. In the shadow of the Almighty, there is stability and security.

Where is this hiding place and shadow?  The word is used twenty times in the Old Testament, more than half in the Psalms.  In the explanation of the Hebrew word illuminating the wider meaning-nuance, reference is made to a place of hope and trust.

It is a beautiful image of God’s shadow, our fortress of safety where our own shadow disappears.  How often do we talk about other people who overshadow us or someone else. This is usually a negative remark  because every human being deserves “his place in the sun” where he can cast his own shadow. 

It is a great thought to give up your own delusions, your own life strategy, personal willfulness and enter the Shadow of the Almighty, where your own shadow disappears while you enjoy the shade of hope and trust.  Often, heat and the sun’s glow are images of tribulation and hardship.  

One thing is for sure – a shadow is not far from the person.  Living in God’s shadow implies a very special lifestyle – close to the Lord, IN his Presence where you enter into conversation, sit at the table with him, with ears tuned to his voice and your eyes…

Right here, the same David’s words are so insightful. 

Protect me as the apple of your eye: hide me in the shadow of your wings. (Psalm 17:8)

Can we desire the apple, the retina, the seeing-function of God for ourselves?  Is it possible to see with a heavenly perspective?

That is the promise. 

…the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, , (Ephesians 1:18)

And the man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes and hear with your ears, and fix your mind on everything I show you; for you were brought here so that I might show them to you. Declare to the house of Israel everything you see. (Ezekiel 40:4, NKJV)

Everything changes in the Shadow of the Almighty.  It is only in the Shadow of God’s wings that our bad eye is healed. 

“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good [clear, healthy], your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!  (Matthew 6:22-23)

How could you build this truth into your life, so that you “lose” your shadow?

In Psalm 34, David writes: 

I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together.

Of course!  That’s how our perspective changes instantly.  Our praise to God is a statement of our priorities.  Our first spiritual discipline is worship, so that we truly “see” what God is doing and then sing to God so that the things around us become hazy and muted in the light of the face of our Father. These are the gates of praise into the city without a temple – the New Jerusalem.  The whole city is the Holy of Holies where God is. (Revelation 21:22)

In gratitude, we turn our faces to God, enter His Presence, and sit down in His Shadow.

…but be filled with the Spirit,speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,submitting to one another in the fear of God. (Ephesians 5:18-20)