Safety | Living in God's Shadow

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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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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The Refuge of His Shadow

The Safe Shadow