My kids have always loved to see their shadows on a sunny day. They love to make different animals with their hands and watch their shadow do whatever they do.
Last summer, Daylen was playing in our yard with some of his toys and I noticed he was getting hot and squinting his eyes. The heat and brightness of the sun were making him uncomfortable. I stepped in front of him so my shadow covered him and he immediately sighed with relief and continued to play.
Psalm 91 is a beautiful Psalm of God's protection and covering for His children. The very first verse says
"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."
When we remain in the secret place of God's presence we also abide under His shadow. The secret place is where we seek His face and His heart. The secret place is where we worship and adore Him for who He is. The secret place is where we remain still waiting and listening for His voice. The secret place is where we grow in trust and become overwhelmed in His love. We embrace His grace in the secret place and learn who we are in Him. This is why we dwell in the secret place.
I wrote the following in my journal a while back about what this beautiful verse means to me.......
When I dwell in the secret place of the Most High
I shall abide under the shadow for there is no safer place.
Under the shadow is where I find rest.
Under the shadow is where I can sleep in peace.
Under the shadow is where I sing with a thankful heart.
Though terror may surround me; complete joy is all I know for I abide under the shadow.
To simply visit the shadow is not enough,
I must abide, I must remain, I must fight to stay under the shadow of the Almighty.
He is faithful and He is working on our behalf. We can rest and enjoy His joy under the shadow.
I am praying you feel peace and rest in your spirit as you abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
This morning started out great; we had our worship music playing and everyone was happy and getting along. Then our one year old took quite a fall and scared his brothers and me.
Years ago, my immediate reaction would have been to panic and maybe even take him to the doctor to get him checked out. This morning was different. I scooped him up and started praising Jesus for taking care of him and thanking Him for surrounding Micah with His angels. I started proclaiming that God is our healer, our protector, and refuge. We sang praise songs as he calmed down and he is fine now.
Afterwards, I asked our two older boys "what should be our first response when things like this happen?" At the same time one of them said "panic" and the other said "pray." Yes, we often do panic and yes we often do pray but what about worship?
There is a man in the Bible that I was drawn to during a very difficult and confusing time in my life. Job is his name and his name actually means persecuted. Job lost everything; his livestock, his servants, and even his own children. He lost everything in one day. How did Job respond to this tremendous loss? I'm sure he mourned and wept and grieved over his children but he also worshiped.
In Job 1:20 it says "Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped."
How did he worship when his heart was completely and utterly broken? What would make a man worship God in the midst of such tragedy? I believe the answer is simple. Job knew God. He knew God's character, he had tasted of God's love and goodness and grace and mercy. His worship was about who God is, not his circumstances. Our circumstances change but our God does not.
So how do we get to the place of worship even in the midst of pain? We don't worship God for what He does for us. We worship Him for who He is. No matter the pain, no matter the circumstance, in our darkest hour He is still God, He is still Love, He is still King of kings, He is still the Resurrection and Life, He is still Immanuel, He is still Prince of peace, and He is still worthy to be praised.
I deeply desire my children to experience the Lord, to taste and see that He is good. And I want them to learn how to respond to life. I want them to depend upon the Lord so much so that they automatically respond to any situation with prayer and worship. For them to depend on Jesus, they must see me and their dad depending on Him first.
"Worship isn't a feeling you wait for, it's a choice you make." - Chris Tomlin
