He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my
refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”
Psalm 91:1–2 NKJV
Ever heard the phrase “living in someone’s shadow”? Maybe you grew up in a family with high expectations or with a sibling who seemed to outshine you no matter what you did, leaving you feeling a bit invisible. If you are thinking about this phrase in modern English, Psalm 91:1 sounds like a dubious blessing.
But consider Israel, the land of the psalm’s original hearers—hot, arid, desertlike in places. On a blistering day, a traveler would see the shadow of a tall rock as a welcome place of rest and safety from the scorching sun. In the rest of this psalm’s imagery, God presents Himself as a place of safety: Like a protective mother bird, He covers you with His feathers; as the Deliverer He rescues you from traps and dangerous diseases; and His truth is a shield, knocking away the lies that your enemy Satan hurls at you.
So perhaps there’s a Person whose shadow you wouldn’t mind living in, One who is ready and able to come to your aid, ready to welcome you to hide yourself in Him.
Father, I rest joyfully in the security of Your shadow, the blessing of Your refreshing presence.
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Today’s reading was adapted from Daily Wisdom for Women: 2018 Devotional Collection with permission from Barbour Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Reading was written by Karin Dahl Silver.