Reflection: Reflection: In his shadow

“You who sit down in the High God’s presence, spend the night in Shaddai’s shadow, say this: “God, you’re my refuge. I trust in you and I’m safe!”

Psalm 91:1-2 (The Message paraphrase)

Ruth, King David’s great grandmother, is a shadow-seeker. She’s one of those desperate people on whose praying lips is the simple plea: ‘Shelter! Refuge!’. She’s a ‘nobody’. A childless widow. And as a daughter-in-law, immigrant, peasant, and widowed/potential wife, you’ll find her in the shadows. The psalmist could well have her in mind here: a vulnerable someone who looks for safety in ‘Shaddai’s shadow’; someone whose habit is humble trust in God.

What this psalm affirms is that God meets that kind of loving faith with his own faithful love. Just as Boaz will stretch his cloak over Ruth in assured safety (Ruth 3) God extends his ‘shadow’ of protection over her.

The rich outcome of our trusting, shadow-seeking heroine of today, as you know, is that she steps out of the shadows of anonymity into the ancestry of the Messiah. From her seemingly helpless circumstances, God birthed the Saviour of the world! And it’s in his shadow of forgiving, eternal grace that you and I, too, can/must rest in daily, confident dependence.

Prayer:

I need you today, God; may I start my prayers each day saying this.

Heavenly Father, I need your loving protection. Jesus, I need your understanding intercessions. Holy Spirit, I need your powerful enabling. Whether or not desperate circumstances drive me helpless into your shadow today, I want to make humble reliance a habit.

“Other refuge have I none, Hangs my helpless soul on Thee; … All my trust on Thee is stayed, All my help from Thee I bring; Cover my defenceless head With the shadow of Thy wing.” (Jesus, lover of my soul, hymn by Charles Wesley).