Finding God's Shadow

Martin Luther uttered some provocative words four hundred some years ago “I have so much business that I cannot get on without spending three hours daily in prayer.” This inspires me. I am not sure I fully understand how to do this, but I am inspired. As my appointment book fills up, rarely do I think “Wow, I have a lot going on today! I better spend more time in prayer!”

This is exactly why I needed to schedule a large block of time to commune with God. I took my Bible and a pen and headed for a wilderness preserve near my home. Holes of sunlight found their way through the dense canopy of trees under which I walked, illuminating the misty morning air. Our Sun is an amazing thing—floating in existence we call “space” some ninety three million miles away, a distance my mind cannot fathom. Somehow it sends energy, whatever that is, all this way and just the right amount of energy to provide heat for the water cycle, and fuel for photosynthesis, and warmth for my skin as I am a little cold this morning. I cannot help but to be drawn to worship as I ponder God’s mysterious provision for us in the Sun.

I find a tree along a creek. The tree seems to be sending its roots down into the creek. This fascinates me and also provides a convenient place to dangle my feet over the creek bed. As I sit I try to pray but am too distracted by all the noises going on around me—birds, and squirrels, and strange objects that seem to be falling from the trees into the creek with a loud “kaplunk.” Once I learn to appreciate all this activity as part of God’s creation, new noises from within me take their place. My mind is busy pondering the activities that lie ahead and playing different scenarios from the previous day. Often I play stories in my head where I help someone in distress and get to be the hero or am recognized for something brilliant. Usually this is what fills my “quiet time.”

I ask God for focus and find a Psalm to read. I am encouraged at first when I read Psalm 63 and hear the Psalmist proclaim “my soul thirsts for you, my body my longs for you in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” I am encouraged because I can feel the fervor of David’s passion for God, and then I begin to wonder does my soul thirst for God? My soul thirsts for something, but mostly I think it is praise and adoration from man. I thank God for reminding me of this, ask for forgiveness, and ask Him to continue to work in me.

As I continue to read I come across verse 7 “Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.” I pick up a thought that began yesterday, thinking about the shadow of God’s wings. The notes in my study Bible say it’s a conventional Hebrew metaphor for protection against oppression just as shade protects us from the oppressive energy of the Sun. I don’t usually think of God as some sort of big bird, but my mind gets carried away with the analogy. If God is a bird, He is probably flying over my head if I am in His shadow. If I want to stay in His shadow, I have to go where He goes. I think understand Martin Luther now. My activity-filled days are mostly driven by human ambition. I picture myself in the previous analogy flailing my arms as I zig-zag through the desert sometimes in God’s shadow and sometimes not. It feels good because at the end of the day, I have accomplished a lot but I am unable to slow down long to evaluate whether or not it was worth it. I picture Martin Luther praying and discerning where God is and peacefully walking in God’s shadow even in the middle of all of his business. He is walking intentionally and with purpose while I run circles around him and God’s shadow.

Oh, how I need more of these long prayer times to keep me in God’s shadow!