God's Shadow | Living in God's Shadow

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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Friends are like Suspenders

February 19, 2020 by Tim

Grandpa always wore a belt and suspenders. Relatives accused him of being a pessimist. They claimed he worried too much. He said he just wanted to be sure nothing could go wrong. Perhaps if he used only a belt or only suspenders, something might happen to cause his pants to fall. Using both, one would hold if the other failed.

As a child, I can recall several preachers who jokingly suggested that Ecclesiastes 4:9 – 10 was instruction wear both a belt and suspenders. Grandpa certainly seemed to follow that advice. I grew older and reread Ecclesiastes 4:9 – 10 and then went on and read through verse 12. This scripture was not about a belt and suspenders! The more I read, the more I understood. This passage is about having friendships with other humans. The author indicates that while having one friend is good, having two or more is better.

Friendships behave a lot like suspenders during difficult times of life. Everyone has heard that it is the difficult times of life that show who your real friends are. Who was willing to step forward, even if it was inconvenient for them, to help you when they saw you had more than you could handle? Who spoke up when they saw you were discouraged and tried to encourage you? Who saw that you were becoming disconnected from your circle of friends and worked to help you reestablish that connection?

I live in western Montana. Snow is not uncommon here. I recognize that my abilities and reactions on snowy and icy roads are not nearly as good as they were when I was 20. If the weather is hazardous, I try to stay home, even if it means missing local events that I would usually attend. A few years ago, the winter was worse than usual. We had so much snow that only about 6 inches of the tops of the fence posts in the field showed above the snow. Due to the weather, I was snowbound for a long time. Then one day, I received a text from a friend who was also part of a group I had joined. The message stated that the group missed me and that they were looking forward to when I could attend again. They offered understanding support for where I was and encouragement to rejoin the group. It helped to brighten the dreary days until the snow melted, and the roads were safe for me to drive again. This friend acted as “suspenders” for me at that time.

Many times we start to believe that we must pursue God solitarily. We mistakenly begin to think that we must only find encouragement in scripture or prayer. Joining with others who are in pursuit of God is healthy, and something scripture encourages. (Hebrews 10:24 – 25) The idea of these verses is to help each other to stay focused on living in God’s shadow.

This matter of mutual encouragement reminds me of when I was about nine years old. I had begun to collect postage stamps. My dad was a stamp collector, and I picked up the hobby from him. I displayed my collection in a “Stamp Album.” The album helped me know what I had and what other variations of stamps were still to be collected. My dad and I would go to “Stamp Club.” Viewing other people’s stamp collections and listening to lectures about stamps at the club would invigorate my interest in the hobby. Once or twice a year, we would attend a stamp show. At these shows, people would have all kinds of stamps and other old postage related materials for sale. These stamp shows would also encourage me to work on my collection. After a club meeting or a show, I would spend time properly affixing stamps in my album. I searched my loose stamps looking for any still missing from the collection. The problem was that the “Stamp club” was only once a month, and the shows were even less frequent. In those weeks in between, my interest would begin to wane. I would almost forget about my stamp collection. Then the next meeting would excite me again. Eventually, our family moved to another area. In this new area, it was a long drive to any stamp club. My interest withered. I would occasionally get my album out and look at what I had collected and then put it back. There was no impetus to continue the collection. Today I know that my old album is somewhere in my house, but I do not know where. I have not even looked at it in several years.

I have found that usually, if we think we are alone, we will eventually get discouraged and quit whatever it is we are doing. Believing we are alone will lead to discouragement in our pursuit of God as well. Perhaps that is why we have scripture verses like 1 Samuel 23:16, Ecclesiastes 4:9 – 12, and Hebrews 10:24 – 25. Each of these speaks of finding or receiving encouragement to continue through fellowship with likeminded people.

This association with other likeminded people works to encourage all parties involved. Sometimes we are excited and feeling extra blessed and can help others. Other times we will have to be supported by those around us. Sometimes we need someone to come alongside us and kindly remind us of what our goal is and whom we are pursuing.

Living in God’s shadow, we learn how to live pleasing to Him and how to live in fellowship with other believers. In that fellowship, we encourage and challenge each other to live in God’s shadow. As friends, we are “suspenders” for each other. We support each other. We encourage the discouraged. We share the things we find in scripture, and we move closer to God.

Be “suspenders” for a friend today. Encourage someone who is discouraged. Draw others with you in your quest to live in God’s shadow.

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The Refuge of His Shadow

February 15, 2020February 5, 2020 by Tim

The air raid sirens wailed. Firetrucks drove up and down the streets of the small town in Indiana. We stood on the second floor, looking out of the windows, watching the storm, and laughing at the firemen. We surmised that the firemen lacked anything else to do. We were unaware that a tornado had been spotted near our town. We did not understand that the air raid siren was a tornado warning. We did not know, the firemen were trying to keep people safe. Our lack of understanding was due to our lack of experience. We were from western Montana. We had no experience with tornados. We only knew a severe thunderstorm was occurring.

I have come to realize everyone faces storms in their life. These storms of life often feel like they will uproot the whole world. Many times we fail to recognize the warnings given and the dangers present in the storms of life. This is because we have never experienced these types of storms before. These storms of life will vary in type and intensity. Sometimes they will be a bad weather storm like a tornado that destroys everything we own. Other times it will be a storm in our relationships, or our health, or our finances. Occasionally, the storm will be the death of a loved one. In these storms of life, we will be buffeted by the wind, drenched by the rain, and bruised by the hail. God does not always prevent these storms. When we live in His shadow, He is with us through the storm. God offers us the comfort and the strength to stand throughout the storm.

We will not understand the “why” for every storm that comes into our lives. We may not comprehend the reason for any of the storms we encounter. God is with us whether we understand the storm or not. There is no storm that frightens God.

It is in these stormy times, God reminds us, he wants us, we are valuable to Him, and He is still writing our story. The storms may make us think that our story is over. Yet, God reminds us that our story is not over until He says it is. When the time comes for our story to end, He will give us the grace to face that storm as well.

My sisters and I would huddle around my mother during those severe thunderstorms. Attempting to comfort and calm us, she would take us to the basement or a more central room. Inside the refuge she chose, the sound of the storm was muted. She would sing to us and try to get us to join in. While her efforts did not lessen the intensity of the storm, they did offer us comfort. When mom was there, we had hope. Similarly, God stands with us, encouraging us, reassuring us, and holding us as the storms of life wash over us.

Stormy times arise when we least expect them. They are times when it appears the lies others tell about us are going to win the day. Situations where we feel our character has been assassinated. Times when we are told, we are unnecessary and unwanted. These storms cause us to question whether we have any value. These storms can also make us ask if God still loves us.

I recall a storm in my life. It was a time when everything seemed to have gone wrong. I felt unneeded by the church I attended at the time. I found myself on the outside of the group I had considered friends. The only place that people seemed to accept me was in the secular realm. During this storm, I prayed. I asked God for hope, some sort of an anchor point. His reply was, “Do you believe that I love you?” My first response was a quick affirmation that I did. But God persisted, “Do you truly believe that I love you?” This exchange was repeated daily for a while. I was so damaged from the storm, I did not understand the question. Eventually, I realized that because of all the trauma of the storm, I had started to doubt God’s love. I had begun to question if God still loved me, still valued me, and still had a plan for me. Listening to His voice, I realized He loved me intensely. God had not made unfavorable comments about me. God had not misunderstood my actions and misinterpreted my intentions. It was not God who had said that I was unneeded. It was not God who had indicated I was without value and had no further purpose in His plan.

The storm of accusations whirling around me, the voices of others, had said and done those things. I realized I had to refocus on God and on living in His shadow. There was no doubt the storm was big and scary. It seemed never-ending. I felt like it was impossible to stay anchored during the storm. But God was there, whispering, “I love you” and holding me tighter than I had ever experienced. He was patient with me. Helping me to understand that He was with me and that my story was not over yet.

We try to fight life’s storms by ourselves. We want to believe we can handle anything. God will allow us to try to fight the storm in our strength if we insist. Yet, He welcomes us back when we are overwhelmed by the storm and flee to the refuge of His shadow.

God’s shadow is a place of refuge, healing, and restoration. I can never remember God saying, “See, I told you so.” when I came running back to Him. I have found that He simply starts from where I am and goes about helping me to repair the damage the storm has inflicted. I may beat myself up, saying, “I should have known better.” but He just says, “Do you love me? Will you let me heal the wounds the storm caused?” Everyone is welcome to find the refuge of God’s Shadow.

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The Map

February 15, 2020January 15, 2020 by Tim

I have always enjoyed maps. I like town or city maps, state maps, country maps, world maps, road maps, topographic maps, even weather maps; I like all of them. Maps allow me to plan, they let me know that someone else has traveled this way before me and they tell me how to get where I am going.

Perhaps this love of maps goes back to my childhood when my family lived in Montana and my grandparents lived in Pennsylvania. Almost every summer we would pack up the car and start the 2000-mile trip to see grandmas and grandpas, knowing that after about two weeks there we would start the 2000-mile trip home. I would see my dad study the map in preparation for the trip and at various times during the trip. These travels were in the late 1970’s when the speed limit for the entire United States was still 55 mph so the trip took about three days each way. I can state from personal knowledge that there are a lot of roads between Montana and Pennsylvania; a lot of places where the wrong turn will put you many miles from your intended destination. A map was a necessity to make the trip as directly and efficiently as possible.

I was recently pondering how incredibly useful it would be to have a map that told us how to pursue God. I am trying to live in His shadow so knowing how to get there is critically important. The entire Bible reveals God to us, but where in Scripture can I find a clear, succinct map of how to get close enough to God to live in His shadow? Suddenly, I realized that the map I was looking for had been around since the time of King Solomon. This map is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14 it says, “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (NRSV) These instructions provide a very clear map that leads from a lukewarm, or possibly cold, life to a life that is in hot pursuit of God. For those who choose to follow it, this map creates a desire to live in God’s shadow. While this verse concisely lays out the path to God’s presence and favor, the challenges of putting each of the steps into action are significant, but certainly not impossible.

The first action required in the verse is to humble one’s self. Not an easy thing to do. Personally, I like me; I think I have good ideas and that I do things correctly, because of that I should be honored, right? If I am displaying this attitude, even if only in my mind, I am proud, not humble.

I remember when God asked me to begin working with Spanish speakers I had several reasons it would not work for me to obey. The first reason I gave seemed like it should end God’s request. I did not speak Spanish. The second reason was similar, I did not know or understand the culture and customs of Latin Americans. As I look back I realize that I was proud and the pride made me fearful. I would have to admit that I did not know things. I would have to learn a new language and new culture and customs. Worst of all in the process of learning I would likely make some mistakes and be embarrassed. I might commit some social faux pas and be laughed at. This was too much for my pride to consider. Fortunately, my desire to live in God’s shadow overpowered my pride and I began to work on learning Spanish and learning about the culture of Latin Americans. Yes, I made mistakes. Yes, I was embarrassed. The mistakes and the embarrassment were made more tolerable when I realized that my choice to not listen to the protests of my pride had moved me closer to God.

Humility is not an easy thing to achieve. Usually, if you think you have humility you still need to work on it. Humility is one of those character traits that others see in you, but you honestly cannot see in yourself. Just letting God direct how you live your life day by day is an exercise in humility. This forces your pride to surrender control of your life to God, meaning that God and not your pride decides what is best for you, what you will do with your assets, how you will treat people and a host of other matters that each one of us deals with on a daily basis.

Biblical examples indicate that we are only usable to God if we are willing to be humble before Him. Think of King Saul, who started out humble and then allowed pride to take over. Even King Solomon started out humble but over time allowed pride of his God given abilities and resources to cause him to directly disobey the first commandment. (The command not to have any other gods.)

A present day example of something being unusable would be if I tried to use a map of Europe to plan a trip from my home in Montana to the state of Colorado. The map of Europe might be beautifully drawn and very colorful, but it simply would not have the information I would need to plan the trip I wanted to make. Similarly, God cannot use our selfish pride to bring us into His presence. Entry into God’s presence and living in God’s shadow, requires a humble heart. A heart that is willing to allow God to work it into the shape He wants it to be. The humble heart is willing to be used, as God wants to use it. The humble heart recognizes that God is in control and does not fight against that fact.

I wish I could tell you that I have being humble, mastered. I wish I could tell you that I am never tempted to want what I want; instead of what God asks. I cannot. Being humble and living in God’s shadow requires daily choices to be sensitive to how God is instructing you to act. It is the belief that God has your best interests in mind, and the certainty that God loves you and wants you near to Him, living in His shadow, viewing Him as your refuge.

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The Safe Shadow

April 1, 2020January 8, 2020 by Tim

I grew up in Western Montana. The July and August temperatures would often be near or above 100 degrees. The sand would get so hot you could feel the heat radiate right through your shoes. The concrete sidewalk would burn the feet of any barefoot child who tried to walk on it. It was hot and dry in the sun. Any sunlit lawn that not regularly watered would soon dry up and die off for the rest of the summer, becoming a prickly, unwelcoming place for bare feet.

The areas that were shaded due to being in the shadow of some other object were a different story. In the shade, the temperature would drop significantly. The lawn could survive without constant watering. In the shadowed areas, the grass was welcoming for bare feet. The burned feet of the kid who forgot and ran onto the sunlit sidewalk could find the soothing coolness of the grass in the shadowed, shaded areas.

Most of my life, I have only really sought out shadows in the summertime. Maybe it was because I felt the need to be in the shade more often in the summer. I noticed one thing about shadows. Staying close to the object that is casting the shadow is required to enjoy the benefits of its shelter. The closer you are to the object or person casting the shadow, the easier it is to stay in the shadow. This realization took on more importance when I read Psalm 91:1, “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” (NIV) As I contemplated this connection and reviewed my life, I realized that most of the time, when I got myself into difficult circumstances, it was because I had wandered away from the “shelter of the Most High” and had thereby left the “shadow of the Almighty.” I created many of my problems by not living in God’s shadow. My ideas and plans seemed perfect to me. What could go wrong? I had thought of it so it would certainly work. Only, it did not. And when I looked up from pursuing my idea or thought, I realized I was damaging the very thing I was trying to seek, protect, or save. I also realized that in the pursuit of my “brilliant” idea, it had led me in a different direction than God was moving and caused me to leave God’s shadow. I did not defect on purpose; I just failed to notice that my trajectory had varied from God’s.

When I was a small child, I can remember walking on and in my parent’s shadows. Sometimes I was pretending that if I stepped on them, the shadows would be unable to move or other times, perhaps playing shadow tag in any of its various forms. I would be at a disadvantage here because parents cast more massive shadows than small children, and they can tag you with their shadow rather easily. Occasionally I would try to make my stride match the stride of their shadow. My legs would stretch to reach, and I might even have to sneak an extra step to catch up.

I think I get it now. I think I fully understand. I have to pursue God if I am going to stay in His shadow. It is not that God is trying to get away; instead, it is a matter that I get swept up in my plans and desires and fail to notice when He moves. When I was a child walking with my parents, as long as I was attentive, I could keep up with them and stay in their shadows. When I got distracted, they and their shadows would move on, and I would be unaware, left a few steps behind, and outside of their shadows.

Living in God’s shadow is not a promise that life will coast along with nothing but happiness and blessings. There will still be days when it seems like everything falls apart. There will always be difficult seasons in life. I am saying that living in God’s shadow and pursuing that shadow will help you avoid many of the messes that you will get into pursuing your own “perfect” plan. If you are living in God’s shadow, that means you are living close enough to Him to ask Him for wisdom and allow Him to inform your choices.

I don’t think I ever realized the safety shadows provide until I raised chickens. I have watched as the chickens scratch and peck in the yard, seeming oblivious to everything except the bug they were chasing. Suddenly one of them, usually the rooster, would give a warning call, and then they would all scatter seeking cover. Some would go into the shadowy coop. Some to the shadows under the porch and some to the shadow of a sizable wild rose bush. The reason for the warning call was usually because some predator was in the area, a hawk, an osprey, or maybe even a bald eagle. Any chicken that did not heed the warning and remained in the yard became a target for the predator. If I were outside at the time, I would move toward the lone chicken that was the predator’s focus. My presence would cause the predator to leave. The chicken would then usually join its fellows in the shadows. Like the chickens finding safety in the shadows, I find safety by dwelling in God’s shadow. Living in God’s shadow does not mean that I do not face temptation. It means I live close to God, who is my source of strength and who enables me to resist temptation. It does not mean that I will not face difficult times, but it does mean that I live close to the only One who can come running to my rescue no matter where I am in the world and no matter what my need may be.

In this blog I invite you to journey with me. Together we can pursue God and live in the safety of His shadow.

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