The Shadow Knows

“They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon.” (Ho 14:7 AV)

I prefer rainy days or overcast days.  I don’t particularly enjoy bright sunny days.  Clouds are my friend.  I am fair skinned so I burn easy and as I age, the risk of skin cancer precipitously grows.  When I am asked to an outside activity, I am looking for the shade.  The shadow of a tree or building is where I wish to be.  Protection from the oppressive heat of the sun is that from which I seek to escape.  In particularly hot days, when the body is worn and tired, the shadow of a tree or building can revive the soul.  The thing is, we cannot occupy the exact same space as a tree.  But we can reside within the protective shadow of it.  The building that casts its shadow does offer complete protection within its walls.  That is the picture we wish to see today.

God’s presence is not that hard to detect.  Specially when compared to the surrounding world.  The point to be made is this:  in the protection which God’s presence provides, we can revive back to the life we once had.  The presence of God’s protection and influence is the key!  The shadow of a building is better than direct sunlight.  But the air-conditioning within its walls is even better. When we accepted Christ, we were cast under the shadow.  We grew closer to the LORD in our daily walk.  Yet, there are times when we walked to the outer edges of that shadow, further from the source of it, in order to fulfill sinful desires.  But the shadow remained.  What we learned is that returning to the source of the shadow we even better than remaining in the shadow.

Sometimes the shadow is not enough.  If the land is arid, a shadow may slow down the process of withering.  But it will not prevent it.  What the corn and vine need, above the shadow, is a source of refreshing.  This revival starts with the shadow.  But it ends with revival.  It ends when the plant draws on the living waters of God’s grace.  When we are not satisfied with the shadow only, but rather, desire to reside with the source of that shadow.  We return.  And we come alive!