Safe in His Shadow

“Shadow Lands,” as my kids like to call it, has been the go-to game this summer. Whether walking across Target’s parking lot, swimming at our neighborhood pool, or frolicking in our backyard, they’ve played it. Constantly.

The goal of the game is to avoid the sun’s hot rays (or “lava”). This task is accomplished by stepping on shadows wherever they may be found. Ironically, over time, my kids have discovered that the best way to win their game is to stand as close to me as possible. Now all three hide in my shadow as we make our way from one place to the next.

Similarly, life can be a lot like this game of “Shadow Lands.” Aren’t we all looking to get from one situation to the next with as much security as possible? Don’t we want to avoid the searing harshness of life’s rays? To escape the sweltering heaviness of difficult circumstances?

Yet the best way to do this isn’t to stress or struggle but to get ourselves as close to God as possible—to hide in His shadow. After all, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1). He will “deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge” (Psalm 91:3-4).

My children’s ‘hiding’ might be clumsy and awkward (three bodies hardly fit in one adult shadow!), but God’s shadow has room for everyone. He longs to be our dwelling place, our strong tower, our soul’s protection. All you have to do is draw near and let His hands “bear you up” (Psalm 91:12).