Living in God's Shadow

Planted By The River

September 23, 2020 by Tim

The ideas for the posts I write for this blog come to my mind in various ways. This post came from the photo to the right. I took the picture several years ago and only remembered it recently. I took the picture because I found it remarkable that another seed had taken root in the ancient remains of a stump. I do not know what event happened to remove the original tree from standing beside the stream. Whatever that event was, the conditions are now right for another tree to grow on that old stump’s remains.

Looking at that photo, the words of scripture came to my mind, “Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NRSV)

When we live in God’s shadow, we find the proper conditions for growth. Growth is not always comfortable because it requires change. Growing does not mean that we leave God’s shadow; instead, we draw even more on God’s resources for us there. We will have the strength to stand during life catastrophes, even when we do not understand why things happened.

I have found that the disasters of life today provide the foundation for growth tomorrow. When the incident happened that left the stump, I doubt anyone saw the possibility of a new tree in the old remains. However, without the first tree’s death, it was impossible to imagine a young tree growing in the same spot.

When I review my life, I see many experiences. Some of those I wish had never ended, and others that seemed like fiascos. During some, it seemed like there would not be even a stump left. Yet as I look at the ashes and rot of the experiences of years now long past, I realize that I have the foundation and resources to grow today in preparation for tomorrow’s tasks.

When things go wrong, it does not necessarily mean that we have left God’s shadow. Sometimes problem areas of our lives have to be polished or removed to allow for something better. A pile of junk and broken glass surrounded by a very weathered, rough sawn, wood slab fence occupied a portion of my property when I bought it. I tore this eyesore down and turned most of the area into part of the yard. I built a new pole building with steel siding on the rest of that area. It went from being an eyesore to adding value to the property. The change brought an increase in value. When God sets about changing us, it is to increase our value to Him. He never attempts to cause our spiritual death. He makes the changes so we can see new growth and be more firmly rooted in His shadow.

My grandfather died 13 years ago. As a World War II veteran, he participated in the Allied invasion of Italy. While it was rare for him to talk about the war, I loved to hear his stories. He knew what it was to lose leaders and buddies in battle. He received three purple hearts and knew what it was to be wounded. He and his generation witnessed and fought against the devastation and horrors perpetrated by the Axis forces, providing freedom for us today. I remember him telling me, “I would not accept any replacement for those experiences, but I do not want to relive them either.” He was a giant in my mind. Grandpa helped me to realize that no generation can step into leadership without previous generations stepping down. When we think the older generation is being hard on us, they are trying to prepare us for the difficult times they know will come into our lives. While I still miss him, the things he taught me about living in God’s shadow have provided some of the foundations I have today.

God does the same thing. He uses each experience and challenging time to prepare us for the future. No one gets to a position of strength and preparation without going through hard times. I had often joked that when I graduated from college, both the college and I were relieved. Yet, I find the things I learned there very beneficial to me today. I have an attitude like my grandpa, I would not want to go to college full time again, but I am very thankful for my education. I could not see the seeds being planted in my life by God when I was battling my way through my courses. Those seeds have turned into the trees in my life today. I did not understand that God was providing the way for those seeds to grow. He supplied a well-watered environment that would allow life experiences beyond my most fantastic imaginations.

When we choose to pursue God and live in His shadow, we can rest in the knowledge that He will plant us in the area where we will grow the best. Provided we continue to look to God and pursue Him, we can be sure He will keep us growing like a tree growing beside a stream. (Jeremiah 17:7-8) God’s goal is to develop us spiritually strong and healthy as an example to everyone around us. When we are strong and healthy, others look to us as a place of security and strength. Living strong and healthy allows us to invite others to join us living in God’s shadow.

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Faith – Living in Expectation

September 2, 2020 by Tim

I was very nervous as I drove across the Mackinac Bridge. I was driving the most massive moving truck I could rent, loaded with all my family’s possessions. It was only my third time on this five-mile-long bridge, which links Michigan’s upper and lower peninsulas. All kinds of worries popped into my mind. What if the maintenance done on the bridge was not adequate? What if high winds suddenly arise? Crossing the bridge required that I exercise faith in the work of people I did not know and likely would never meet.

I seldom think about the fact that I exercise faith multiple times every day. When I get up in the morning, I exercise faith that the floor will hold me when I step on it. When I need to drive my truck, I believe that it will start, despite its 324,000 miles. We believe that each breath will come as needed and will not be poisonous gas. Faith is common in everyday life, but it seems that there is a disconnect when we try to relate faith to our spiritual lives. Suddenly believing becomes much more challenging. Perhaps it is because we have difficulty trusting things we cannot see.

Faith is a critical commodity for those who want to live in God’s shadow. It is only logical that we must believe that God exists before we can follow Him or ask Him for blessings. (See Hebrews 11:6) I do not ask Santa Claus for gifts because I do not believe that he exists. (The after Christmas bills assured me that Santa Claus did not freely give the gifts.)

Usually, exercising one’s faith is viewed as positive. I have noticed that anytime someone anticipates a poor outcome from their actions or beliefs, it is called doubt.

Faith always expects a great outcome. The anticipation of failure is not a part of faith. This confidence comes not from the fact we believe; instead, it is because our belief is in God. We believe that God is good and does good things. Therefore we can have faith in the words of Jesus Christ when He spoke of God, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” Matthew 7:11 (NIV) We do not quit using common sense. Faith is not a presumptive action where we do whatever we want without fear of natural consequence. Instead, it is obedience to God even when we are unsure of the results, but we are confident that God loves and cares for us.

Living a life of faith does not guarantee a life continually overflowing with confidence and blessings. If you read the book of Job, in the Bible, you will see that Job lost his children, his possessions, and even his wife encouraged him to curse God and die. (Job 2:9) Yet we read that Job’s faith in God remained. Job seemed unsure if he would survive his physical ailments, but his faith in God does not appear to waver. Job said, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face.” Job 13:15 (NIV) What an example of unwavering faith!

A real life of faith is a life of constant expectation. We may not understand the current circumstances, but we know that God is still in control and has our best interests in mind. Nevertheless, we will doubt occasionally or try to accomplish God’s plan using our methods instead of waiting on Him. Think of Abraham and his wife as they waited for God to fulfill the promise of a son. When Abraham and Sarah had a lapse in their faith, they ended up with a son from a servant girl instead of the promised child. (Genesis 15-16) About fourteen years after the promise, the promised child did come, but Abraham and Sarah had a constant reminder of their lack of faith each time they saw Ishmael, the servant girl’s son. (Genesis 21)

When we have difficulty exercising faith, it is because we are trying to rely on ourselves. The exercise of faith causes us to look to God to answer the situation and move into His shadow. Faith is like a muscle; it is the exercise of it that causes it to grow. When we rely only on our strength, our faith begins to atrophy.

If you find that your faith is weaker than it should be, move closer to God. Recognizing weak faith is not a problem; however, being content with weak faith is a problem. Jesus consistently challenged His disciples to grow in faith. On at least four occasions, Jesus directly challenged the disciples’ lack of faith. (Matthew 6:30, 8:26, 14:31, 16:8) I do not believe that Jesus was trying to humiliate or discourage the disciples. These times seem to attempt to get the disciples to step up and develop a stronger faith.

The things that cause us to spend the most time in prayer, asking God to intervene, are opportunities for more robust faith growth. When we recognize that God has the answer, and we must rely on Him to work on our behalf, faith grows.

Faith is necessary, but it is not always easy. Living in God’s shadow requires that we have faith in Him and His plan for our life. Because God loves, He wants us to live close to Him, but it requires faith. In the words of William Carey, “Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.”

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Following the Trail to God’s Shadow

August 26, 2020 by Tim

I spent many hours in the forest as a teenager. I learned how to walk almost silently. I learned the terrain of the mountain and where I was the most likely to see deer and elk or the occasional bear. Most importantly, I learned how to follow a trail. I learned to recognize blaze marks on the trees that marked the way on the human-made paths.

That there is a trail out there somewhere that will lead us to God is not the only information we have. The Bible, specifically the Ten Commandments and the teachings of Jesus, map out the trail we must follow. A guide is also given to us that will lead us along the trail that leads to God. “Follow me.” is a command frequently found in the teachings of Jesus. God does not try to hide the path from us. He wants us to follow Him carefully. The Ten Commandments’ underlying principle is that we follow God so intently that we live in His shadow. Each of the Ten Commandments and the teachings of Jesus serves as blaze marks revealing the trail into God’s shadow.

The Israelites followed the trail that God laid out for them in the wilderness. They watch the cloud of God’s presence that settled over the tabernacle. When this symbol of God’s presence lifted and traveled, they would break camp and follow the cloud. (Exodus 40:36-38) The cloud marked the direction they were to move. The Israelites only traveled when the cloud of God’s presence moved. This cloud was the trail marker for them. No one had any question whether it was time to move or where to go. When the cloud moved, they followed the trail it laid out.

I have found no record in scripture of any of the Israelites refusing to follow or making excuses not to follow. I do not read of anyone trying to take a shortcut. They did not know the trail and had to rely on God to lead them.

I do not read of any of the Israelites saying, “I will follow eventually, but I have to roast a few more marshmallows over the campfire before I go.” Living in God’s shadow requires obedient action. Following the trail into God’s shadow is not something we should delay.

Most of the trails I followed, when I was young, were not human-made; instead, the wild animals using the same route many times had created them. These one-foot-wide dirt paths often contained the tracks of whatever or whoever had walked on it in the last few hours. Following these trails, I learned that the deer prefer the route between two places that requires the least amount of effort. None of those trails were as easy as flat ground, but they needed less energy than the surrounding terrain.

Following Jesus is not a guarantee that life will be easy. We will face things we do not understand, painful experiences, and times when it seems like we cannot take another step. No matter how steep or uncomfortable the trail of life may be, we continue to hear Jesus call, “Follow me.” If we look carefully in the dust of the trail, we will see His footprints showing us that He has walked this trail before us.

I also learned that there is a difference between following a trail and following one animal’s tracks in the snow. Once I was following deer tracks through the snowy forest, and I assumed that I could go anywhere the deer went. The deer tracks eventually crossed a very steep area. When I attempted to cross the same area, I learned that the difference between my feet and a deer’s hooves is significant. My feet will not cling to slippery slopes the way the hooves of a deer will.

Personal experience has taught me that when I find the ground beneath my feet to steep to stand on, I am usually off of the trail. If we notice that we do not feel the need for God’s shadow, we are getting off the path. When we think that the Ten Commandments and the teachings of Jesus cannot relate to society today, we are off the trail.

A trail not used frequently will become overgrown and difficult to follow. One place I lived, the neighbors told me of a pathway between the house I lived in and their house. The neighbor’s daughter and a young lady that previously lived in my house had been friends. The girls had walked back and forth so much that they had created a trail between the houses. I looked for the path at that time and found remnants of it. Disuse had caused it to start to become overgrown. The last time I looked, even the remaining pieces had almost disappeared. If we are content to let our Bible become dusty and fail to respond to Jesus’ call to follow Him, we can expect to find that the trail into God’s shadow will become hard to follow.

Following Jesus’ teachings will keep you on the correct path. Consistently pursuing God and living in His shadow will preserve the trail from becoming overgrown.

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Where Are You Looking?

August 19, 2020 by Tim

We have all seen people walk into things, or other people, or fall on the stairs because they failed to look where they were going. Perhaps you have noticed that you tend to go where you are looking? If I am driving and looking at the animals or scenery out the side window, it is not long before the vehicle begins to drift in the direction I am looking. Making straight lines or keeping a car on the road while driving must be a purposeful act. Many years ago, I received advice on how to make straight lines when mowing or plowing. It required that I pick an object at the opposite end of the field or yard and keep my eyes locked on it until I had completed the line. I have tested this advice and found it to be correct. If I look to the right or the left in the middle of the line, I will create a wiggly line instead of a straight one.

Living in God’s shadow requires the same type of focus. We see an example of this in apostle Peter when he asked Jesus to let him approach Jesus by walking on water. He did just fine as long as he kept his focus on Jesus. When Peter began to look at the waves that surrounded him, he began to sink. (Matthew 14:25-33)

Where we fasten our gaze, shows what we consider to be the priority at that instant. When Peter looked at the waves, he suddenly considered them a greater danger than the power of Jesus, which was allowing him to walk on top of the water. When he started to sink, he rearranged his priorities and put faith in Jesus back at the top of the list.

Even when we are focused and trying to make straight lines, there will be things that try to distract us. When I am mowing a straight line, I may hit a rock hidden in the grass, or drive into a gopher hole. Life happens even when we are trying to do things correctly. The kids get sick, the car tire goes flat, and your computer dies all in one day. These kinds of distractions make it hard to keep focused. They are the waves that we face day-to-day.

2 Chronicles 20 has an exciting story about a king of Judah named Jehoshaphat. During his reign, he discovered a plan developed by several neighboring countries to attack his kingdom. His response to this news was to focus on God and pray. (You can read his prayer in 2 Chronicles 20:6-12) He ends his prayer with these words, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” 2 Chronicles 20:12 (NIV)

Specific times in my life come to mind when I have prayed words similar to those closing words. The time when my daughter was born with a heart problem, or when my wife received a cancer diagnosis, and when goals I worked toward were snatched away, are all past examples. I am learning that life must be lived with my eyes always on Jesus. The tendency is to begin to rely on my strength, which takes my eyes off of Christ. Losing sight of Jesus causes me to flounder for lack of direction. Placing my eyes back on Jesus corrects my course and leads me in paths I would not have thought to travel.

Uncomfortable situations often cause us to grasp at anything that looks like it could have the slightest possibility of helping. We allow our focus to move to the shiny things around us. What we should do is follow Jehoshaphat’s example. Focus on God and move toward Him. If we read the remainder of the chapter, we find that God provided miraculous deliverance because of Jehoshaphat’s choice.

I have read Hebrews 11 and marveled at the accounts of all the people who have exhibited great faith. The lives of each person mentioned in that chapter clearly show an overwhelming desire to live in God’s shadow. The question is, ” How do I live a life that displays my pursuit of God the way these examples did?” The first three verses of chapter 12 reveal the method. We must reset our priorities so that pursuing God and living in His shadow is the first on the list. Hebrews 12:2 gives us the way we can reset our priorities and effectively seek God, “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” ( Hebrews 12:2 NIV) It keeps our eyes on Jesus Christ that enables us to travel a direct route into God’s shadow.

Life experience has shown me that if I continually look at the wrong thing, I will end up in the wrong place. If I focus on the incorrect landmark when I am hiking, I will go off course. When we have focus, we move with purpose. No one accidentally ends up arriving exactly where he or she intended. If you arrive at your intended destination, you purposely moved toward that goal and focused on achieving it. Our pursuit of God works the same way. When we look to Him, we move toward Him. The reverse is also true. It is impossible to focus on living a life displeasing to God and still live in His shadow.

Living a life in the shadow of the almighty God requires that we keep our eyes fixed on Him. Our relationship with Him grows as we move toward Him. The people around us will recognize our focus and faith. Our lives will become a constant invitation to others to also look to Jesus and move into the security of God’s shadow.

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Being Still

August 12, 2020 by Tim

Have you ever asked a two-year-old child to be still? How did that work out for you? Getting a toddler to quit wiggling and moving has always been a challenge for me. I do not know where they get the energy to keep in constant motion. They even move so much in their sleep that I do not understand how they wake up rested.

As I have aged, I find it has become easier to be physically still. Quieting my mind is another matter entirely. My mind is continually planning, considering possibilities, and trying to solve problems I am facing. It requires significant effort to quiet my mind and rest.

Being still is a challenge for humans. Yet we find a reoccurring theme in scripture about being still before God. We find scripture counsels us with verses like, “Be still and know that I am God!” Psalms 46:10 (NRSV). Maybe it is because we fail to recognize that we cannot conquer every situation we face that scripture says, “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14 (NIV) Our tendency to worry about things out of our control seems to answered by, “Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices.” Psalms 37:7 (NRSV)

What does it mean to be still? Is it not talking? Is it not moving? I believe that when God asks us to be quiet and know who He is or to wait on Him, there is a reason. He is asking that we exhibit trust in Him. I know that sometimes when I pray, I ask for God to work out a problem, but then I go and try to figure it out on my own. Other times I have no ideas of how to resolve the situation. In these latter situations, I am always amazed at how God worked out the circumstance because I was still and waited on Him.

The Apostle Peter wrote about this concept when he wrote, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7 (NIV) Being still before God requires us to acknowledge that He is more powerful than we are and that He is in control of everything.

When I was about 8, my family moved to Indiana for a few years. While we lived there, I saw a kind of fishing I had never seen before. People would sit in a lawn chair on the shore of a lake or pond to fish. They would bait their hook, put a bobber on the line, then cast the line out and sit there until a fish happened along. I believed it could not be exciting because it lacked in movement. The point of that kind of fishing was not to create excitement or lots of action. It usually did not result in catching a lot of fish. The purpose of that style of fishing was to relax and to refresh the person by being still.

Part of living in God’s shadow is being still. When we stop moving, we can hear instructions from God. Our minds are open for Him to suggest solutions to the problems we face when we relax in Him.

Several times I have become so caught up in my work that I would forget to rest and sometimes even forget to eat. These times usually came to a sudden halt when I would become so exhausted I would get sick. Proper rest and care would enable me to recover within a short time. However, I had to be still to recuperate. This time of stillness helped me to analyze how I had gotten into this exhausted state. During these downtimes, I would resolve to be more careful and try to restrict my work to certain hours and days. I have managed to get better about following my resolutions as I have aged.

Our spiritual lives require a certain amount of quietly sitting in God’s presence for proper health. It is impossible to continue to live in God’s shadow if you never take time to be still. Often when we think God is not speaking to us or is not working out our circumstances, the problem is that we are not quiet long enough to hear Him or see what He is doing. We wear ourselves out because we do not heed Jesus’ invitation, “Come to me, all you that are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 (NRSV) Finding this rest in Jesus Christ requires us to be still before God.

When I was a teenager, I spent a lot of time hiking in the mountains. I never understood why I saw so little wildlife compared to other people. One day another person told me that I was moving through the forest too fast. I slowed down, and I started to see more animals. In the stillness between movements, I occasionally saw and heard the deer before they saw and heard me. When I stopped moving, the squirrels would start running and chattering. Being still enabled me to see and hear much more in the forest than ever before.

If you believe you have not been hearing from God or seeing Him move recently, perhaps you are moving too quickly. It could be time to sit quietly and read scripture. Maybe it is time to treat prayer like a conversation instead of a wish list. Conversations have pauses and space for the other person to respond. When you want God to intervene, you must be still. Stillness enables you to recognize your limitations and the fact that God is all-powerful.

When you want to live in God’s shadow consistently, find a place, and make the time to be still. Living close to God requires us to stop and recognize that God can and does care for us.

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