Under the Shadow

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34:8‬ ‭NIV‬

I’ve been thinking about this concept lately. Here in Mazatlan it’s similar to an Australian summer … all the year round. We arrived in winter but we were wearing T-shirt’s and shorts! I go for my morning walks and it strikes me that I’m very keen to get to the patches on the footpath that are covered with shade. Some shade is from tall buildings blocking out the sunlight, the biggest patch is created by “icebox hill.” I walk along and soak in the cool. The breeze comes off the ocean and under the shade of the “mountain” it is such a relief. As the seasons are changing the fog has been rolling in. I am told that when this fog arrives it heralds the beginning of Spring and with it comes high humidity as we edge towards summer in one of the most humid cities in the world.

As I walk it makes me think about how much I want to be in the shadows for the protection of the sun. At Chaffey water sports camp at Nundle, NSW,  the temperature got up to 42 degrees sometimes. We were on the side of a hill for a week doing the water sports and we basically lived in our wet swimmers, T-shirt’s, shorts and straw hats. No high fashion there! I would cast my eyes to the heavens and ask God for even the smallest of clouds because every cloud over the sun made a huge difference. One year I carried around a beach umbrella so I could be under shade the whole time. It was brilliant! Even if I looked a bit silly.

Todays bible reading was Psalm 34:8 Blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.

What a relief it is to run in under the shadow of God’s wing. It is so peaceful and so cool. Free of effort and striving. Restful.

I pray we will always remember to go there when we are in the heat of the day. When it is stressful and out of control. Hopefully even before that!

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭91:1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Kate