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June 2, 2019

365 Days of the Great Names of God, Day 184: Shade


Shade

"The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand." (Psalm 121:5 NKJV)

My family and I live in a 109-year-old farmhouse on a tree-lined country road. In its original selling condition, the house was well-described as a "fixer-upper": it had almost no where to go but up.

The house has 109-year-old plumbing (or something close to it), which is why water pressure is not our home's area of giftedness. But it also has 109-year-old trees, which are absolutely a gift. You can buy plumbing, but you cannot buy 109-year-old trees. Our stately pines shade our house and make up significantly for its lack of central air. They are cooling and protective, and the shade they faithfully provide gives me a profound appreciation for God as the Shade at our right hand.

Psalm 121 is far from being the only example in His Word where God places Himself "at" our "right hand," so there must be something significant about it. With no offense intended toward the left-handers among us (my own sweet husband included), the right is the dominant, default hand for most people, so provision and protection there is most beneficial.

Think, too, of the reference to someone as our "right-hand man": this is someone we can count on, rely on, trust to be available in full supply when we need him—and all these are surely true of God our Shade. 

Yahweh is not a Shade we have to go searching for. Neither is He is some sliver of shade, like the lone tree everyone tries to park under in a blazing asphalt lot on a hot summer day. The cooling comfort this Shade provides is lush and lavish...a broad canopy that refreshes us and helps us get on with the tasks at hand (right or otherwise).

If life feels like it's beating down on you today, sweet friends, maybe this is a good time to sit in the Shade for awhile.

1 comment:

  1. What a cool startup! Indeed you brought the 109-year-old farmhouse in super meaningful way that might be able to keep the readers stay longer with a vigorous approach. Yeah, the Lord is really our keep and safeguard who always bless us with numerous facilities and possibilities. I got through your sweet details and excited so much. A house on a tree lined country road can make any person absentminded and in the world of imagination. Of course I would like to say my hearty thanks to you for the quality and unique demonstration. BTY do you love to keep trees surrounded your house well shaped and healthy? I think the answer will be "yes". I also love to get my green yard always well shaped. For tree trimming or pruning especially home guys in Walnut Creek, Orinda, Lafayette, Moraga, Alamo, Danville, San Ramon, Dublin, Pleasant Hill, Concord, Martinez, Antioch, Pittsburg I would recommend Walnut Creek Tree Service that offers premier tree removal, tree trimming, tree pruning, deadwood removal, land clearing, tree planting and tree removal services to homes and businesses. I believe keeping in touch with them won't disheartened you tree lovers guys.

    ReplyDelete

I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to tell me what you really think. Years ago, I explained to my then-two-year-old that my appointment with a counselor was "sort of like going to a doctor who will help me be a better mommy." Without blinking, she replied, "You'd better go every day." All of which is just to say I've spent some time in the school of brutal honesty!