Life in the Shade

life in the shade

All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.

~Psalm 36:7 NLT

We thought fall had arrived, but she fooled us. We longed for life in the shade, but couldn’t find it.

One year, one of our grandsons played travel soccer, which meant all his games were some distance away, and he played on the weekends. We had enjoyed mild temperatures for several weeks—unusual for September in our neck of the South. We longed for fall to arrive early and the ninety-degree days to disappear. Neither happened.

As the weekend approached, the temperatures climbed. Meteorologists forecasted that Sunday would be the hottest day of the week. Great, I thought, now we must sit in the afternoon sun for almost two hours without shade. But grandparents will do nearly anything for grandchildren—and we planned to.

After spending all morning at church, we hit the road for the almost two-hour drive to the game field. We had been once before, so we knew the route. We stopped at a local grocery store to eat lunch in the first small town we came to, then headed on to the ballfield.

The sun blazed by late afternoon. Before leaving that morning, I told my wife we needed our two large umbrellas. Good thing I thought of that. We snuggled under their shadows. And while they didn’t provide cool air, they gave cooler air because they provided shade. Although the sweat rolled down our bodies, we didn’t perspire as much as we would have—or as much as our daughter and son-in-law, who had no umbrellas. I hated the heat, but not as much as if I had sat in the direct sunshine.

The psalmist pictures all humanity under the shadow of God’s wings . . . in the shade. He doesn’t mean everyone knows God or is known by God through a personal relationship. The Bible nowhere speaks of universal salvation. But since God is the creator of all, everyone dwells under the shadow of His wings as chicks do under a mother hen’s wings.

The image evokes comfort and protection. A mother hen is ruthless when protecting her chicks from danger. Her warmth initially hatches the eggs and later provides them warmth, shade, and security.

God, too, is responsible for our being and existence. He breathes the breath of life into our lungs and starts our heartbeat. He forms our bodies and enables us to live outside our mother’s wombs. When in a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ, He promises to be our God and never to leave or forsake us. He will be our God forever and into eternity. During our earthly sojourn, He will walk us through all circumstances—good and bad, enjoyable and unenjoyable, easy and taxing. The shadow of His wings will cover us.

After a difficult and hot game, my grandson sought out shade . . . and cool air. Life, too, is difficult, but it is bearable, enjoyable, and pleasant under the shadow of God’s wings. No other shade like it exists. Enjoy it. God is your fierce protector and the lover of your soul.

Martin Wiles

Martin Wiles lives in Greenwood, SC, and is the founder of Love Lines from God. He is a freelance editor, English teacher, pastor, and author. He serves as Managing Editor for both Christian Devotions and Vinewords.net and is an instructor for the Christian PEN (professional editor’s network). Wiles is multi-published author. His most recent book, Grits, Grace, and Grands, is available on Amazon. He and his wife are parents of two and grandparents of seven. He can be contacted at [email protected].

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3 comments

  1. My husband and I visited parts of Greece and Italy, as well as Ephesus in Turkey this summer. It was late July, and the sun was blazing hot. Several times we spent hours outside, and I prayed for God‘s protection from sunburn. And while He answered, being our true Protector, He did remind me that sunscreen is a good thing!

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