Psalm 121: 5-8 The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not hurt you by day, nor the moon at night. The Lord keeps you from all evil and preserves your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.
Have you ever been in the heat for too long? As I have aged, my tolerance for the heat and sun has greatly decreased. My days of laying in the sun for hours at a time are over. I can handle the heat for a little but – long enough to get warm and soak up my vitamin D but I soon find myself craving the shade. In the shade I can still enjoy the outdoors but I’m protected from the discomfort. Every picture of myself at the pool over the past 5 years looks exactly the same. I am wearing a visor, sunglasses, and sitting in the shade. At my kids ball games I have learned that an umbrella is for more than protection from the rain, it provides protection from the sun as well. Which means I can sit and watch the entire game while being protected from the heat of the sun. I am officially old, but I’m ok with that. These layers of protection from the elements sustain me while I am in the elements.
The world we live in has its own level of “heat”. It comes in the form of chaos, confusion, doubt, anger, frustration, failure, and more. Exposure to the heat of the world can be exhausting. Where do you go when the heat of the world becomes too much? Thankfully, the Lord is our “protective shade” from the world. He is our umbrella, our visor and sunglasses, our shade. The beauty of our relationship with Christ is that he “shades” us with his love and protection while we face the heat of the world. He never promised life would be perfect, but He did promise never to leave us or forsake us. Whether it be an illness, the death of a loved one, job loss, or bad news – He is our sustaining power. We are protected and we are not subject to the elements of chaos, confusion, doubt, anger, frustration, and failure. The Lord watches over you!
Whatever “heat” you are experiencing today, I pray that you would find the peace that comes with knowing that the Lord watches over you and is protecting you. Sit in His shade and rest. “The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever”.