Shadows are a familiar part of life and can be useful. Ancient cultures used a sundial to tell time. It was the shadow that the sundial produced that denoted the time. Even today, we roughly judge the time of day by the length of the shadows we see. In Florida, the premium parking spots are the shaded ones. Floridians are always seeking shadows in which to park. Figuratively, shadows are used in literature to convey a variety of ideas. Physical shadows are artistic elements in photography and artwork. Stage-lighting designers are keenly aware of the importance of shadows. A well-placed shadow can add dramatic effect. An ill-placed one can obscure an actor’s face.
When I think of shadows, I remember my shadow on the sidewalk when I was a little girl. I waved my arms and jumped around to see if I could do something that my shadow could not. (I had just seen the Peter Pan movie.) But my shadow did everything that I did without fail. So I proved to myself that my shadow was attached. Yet, for a short time, I would still challenge my shadow – just in case.
As I got older and started watching scary movies, shadows became a source of fright. Somehow the innocuous shadows of daytime would become ominous threats at night. In the dim light of nighttime, a quick glance at the shadow of a coat hanging on the hall tree might look like Frankenstein and scare me. Even as an adult who knows that monsters are not real and never watches scary movies, I can still get startled on occasion by an unfamiliar shadow at night.
A shadow is defined by my friend Merriam Webster as, “the dark figure cast upon a surface by a body intercepting the rays from a source of light.” I like that definition because it accurately describes how objects react to sunlight. They don’t block the light, they intercept it. Have you ever sat under a shade tree in the heat of summer? It’s cool and comfortable because the tree intercepts the sun’s heat as well as the light – hence the shadow that you’re sitting in. Inanimate objects may reflect the light, but living things absorb it. Either way, it is intercepted.
As adults, it’s not usually the physical shadows that intimidate us, but the figurative ones. Perhaps, when you read the title of this post, you thought of Psalm 23:4, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” The emphasis of the Hebrew word for shadow in this verse is darkness. Sometimes people focus more on that darkness than on the next part of the verse that says, “I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me.” Because of that, people get stuck in the dark figure that a shadow casts. In fact, another definition that MW attributes to ‘shadow’ is: “a source of gloom or unhappiness.” If we are stuck in the shadow of death, we will definitely be gloomy and unhappy! Consider this… logically, if we are stuck in the shadow of death, it must mean that someone or something has intercepted the light before it reached us. Doesn’t that sound just like the world? All the schemes of the world are designed to keep the light of God from reaching us.
So how can we escape that darkness if we’re stuck in it? By taking a step. It’s just that simple. A shadow is a fixed area corresponding to whatever is making the shadow. When we step outside that area, we will no longer be bound by the darkness it has produced; and we are free to walk in the light. The shadow is then beneath us, not above us. And one way that we can take that step is by claiming the rest of Psalm 23:4; “I will fear no evil: for Thou (God) art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”
Several times in the Old Testament, it also talks about us being under the shadow of God’s wings. The word for shadow here denotes shade, defense, and protection. Being under God’s wings is a figure of speech symbolized by how a mother hen or duck hides her babies under her wings. I actually witnessed this happen. We were on vacation and had just finished dinner at a nice restaurant, which had a pond out front. We stopped to look at the pond just as a mama duck waddled up onto the bank and called her ducklings in for the night. We watched a dozen baby ducks crawl underneath her and disappear. Once they were all tucked in; they were hidden, warm and protected from harm. That’s how God takes care of us. He covers us with His strength and surrounds us with His defense and protection. The only way a predator could get at those baby ducks was by fighting the mother. The only way our predator can get to us is by fighting God Almighty! And that is a battle that our predator absolutely will NOT win!
God is light and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). God’s light is so bright that even His shadow is light! So if we abide in God’s shadow, no darkness can overcome us because light dispels darkness. Even the tiny light of a match’s flame pierces the darkest night. God is our protector. He is our refuge and our fortress. We need never be stuck in the shadow of death because God has called us and placed us under the glorious shadow of His wings.
I love these verses: Psalm 91:1-5
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
Note to my readers: We can always count on the shadow of God’s faithful protection. Thanks for reading!