Are you following God closely enough through the zigs and zags of life to find rest in His shadow?
When you were a kid, did you ever chase someone’s shadow? Maybe it was a parent, sibling, or friend that walked in front of you casting a long dark stain on the pavement that made it your mission to keep your feet inside of that shadow, not letting even a toe hit the sunlit cement.
When they zigged, you zigged. When they zagged, you zagged. You studied and watched their movements with an eagle eye to make sure your feet stayed safely inside of their silhouette.
That is how I want to walk every day – in the safety of God’s shadow.
Dwell in the Shelter
Walking with God is more to me than just going through the motions of my normal life carrying with me this belief that He exists. He is not something I only pull out in the midst of an existential crisis.
No, it’s a relationship. There is an unbreakable connection between us. He is not an extra accessory to my life, He is the center, the core, the focus of every decision I make, every step I take, every word I speak.
Just like any other relationship, it takes regularly investing your time, energy, and heart to reap the benefits of that connection. I love Him deeply and that alone draws me nearer to Him, but it is not always an unconscious emotions-based thing, though. My natural thoughts do not always align with His and my ways sure aren’t always His ways.
It’s a choice to follow God when other things beckon us outside of His shelter. It’s a decision to make time to spend reading His Word, thanking Him for blessings, talking to Him about the things going on in Your life, and listening for His answers.
Rest in God’s Shadow
That is the desire of my heart.
To stay close enough to God that I am constantly aware of His presence, in rest and busyness alike. Whether I’m alone or with a crowd of people. I want to be so close to Him that I sense His movements so that I can zig when he zigs.
Where He goes, I will go. Not planning too far ahead and jumping in front of Him (I’ve been known to do that again and again). Not dragging my heels in fear and falling too far behind Him. But staying within the safe confines of His shadow, under His guidance and protection.
Not limits put there to stifle or contain us but to grow us and guide us down the most fruitful path of life.
When we are there, standing in the silhouette of the Almighty, that is where we can truly find rest. We can trust that He is working for our good and leading us beside still waters.
In His shadow, we can walk through deserts, seas, and storms without worry. There, it is well with my soul.
There is no place I’d rather be.