It’s Sunday—the Lord’s Day—again.
The butterfly, symbol of resurrection, of new life, is almost pictured in the accompanying photograph. The spicebush swallowtail is out of the picture. Its shadow has been captured, though. (Please note that this photographic capture was not affected by my design or skill. A little blessed luck came in very handy.)
You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,[a]
will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust.” (Psalm 91:1-2, NRSV)
The psalmist makes it clear later that the creature casting the shadow that evokes the presence of God in the psalm is a bird, not a butterfly. Well, why should that stop us. If we add a dose of New Testament to our interpretation, we can imagine ourselves living in the shadow of the risen Christ.
Psalm 91 mentions any number of dangers back in the day that evoke our day and age: “deadly pestilence,” “the terror of the night,” “the destruction that wastes at noonday.”
A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you. (91:7, NRSV)
At this point, it seems prudent to point out that when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, it was a quote from this psalm that Satan used to try to get Jesus to throw himself off the top of the temple in Jerusalem. Tens of thousands have already fallen in America alone with more to come here and throughout the world. There are persons who seem to be inclined to tempt God in clear violation of the teaching of Jesus. I believe there is a central part of us that God will protect. Our human bodies are not part of that equation.
When they call to me, I will answer them;
I will be with them in trouble,
I will rescue them and honor them. (91:15, NRSV)
Our rescue and honor are not complete in this life, but they begin. As it says in the hymn, “O what a foretaste of glory divine.” God is and will be with us in times of trouble—in happy times, too, if we will take the time to pay attention. No, we do not need to wait for death for the joy of God’s presence to be with us. Our need for God’s presence precedes that eventuality.
I suppose the idea of living under a shadow can sound a bit foreboding, but I recall my years living in hot, sunny Fresno, California. Shade looks and feels really good when there are no clouds in the sky and the temperature is over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. I had my share of those days. They were instructive. Yes, “the shadow of the Almighty.” Works for me.
–Pastor Bill—
