The theme of the Lord watching over us and keeping us safe, continues…
” The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand. the sun
will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.”
If God is your keeper, He becomes “your shade on your right hand,” meaning no
one is nearer to you than the One who keeps you and preserves you from harm.
Nothing can come between you and your God.
I grew up in a semi desert area of South Africa, where the sun’s rays were
extremely hot. Every homestead had trees where one could sit under and enjoy
the shade on scorching days. The sun’s brutal rays in the Middle East could burn
and harm the pilgrims who were on their way to one of Israel’s feasts in
Jerusalem. God promised care for the travellers, with a reference that goes
back to the cloud by day that followed Israel in the wilderness from Egypt and
shielded them from the sun.
In Isaiah 4 we can read how Almighty God protected His people by creating a
canopy over them – “It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day,
and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.” Psalm 91:1 promises
the same, with shade being the same word as “shadow” – “He who dwells in the
secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”
To be in someone’s shadow means one must be very close to them, to be
attached to them. In Africa, many women carry their little ones on their backs,
so close to them that the babies sleep better even when their mothers move.
That is their place of safety and protection. John Piper writes concerning Psalm
121 – “The psalmist is not promising the absence of pain or even failure. But He
is promising that, amidst seas of adversity, the elect will remain upheld, not
because of their own doing, but because of the preserving hand of God.”
We cannot be harmed when we walk with God, in His shadow, following in the
footsteps of Christ. We might go through dangers and difficulties, but John
16:33 tells us – “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have
peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the
world.” Nothing can ultimately harm us, because “nothing can ever separate us
from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our
fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell
can separate us from God’s love.” (Romans 8:38 NLT)
Precious Saviour, thank You that Your love keeps us secure and safe, that even
though we walk through troubles and hard trials, it is YOUR protecting shadow
and shade that keeps us safe. Please help us that Galatians 2:20 becomes a
reality in our lives – “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but
Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of
God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Lord, we love, adore, and worship
You!
Myrtle Turunen