Shadows

Sometimes we find ourselves in the shadows. In a shadow the world is not changed, only it looks darker, and it becomes harder to see the sun. Sometimes we stumble, lost in a cloud and wondering if we will ever find our way out. We see only darkness and feel a chill sink into our being. We hear voices that have no faces. We remember the shadow of death, the darkness of despair, and the depth of the long night. We are afraid.

But hopefully we are given grace to realize that this is not all we find in the shadow. Peter, James and John found themselves surrounded by a cloud, and they were also afraid. But they heard a voice that said, “Do not be afraid,” and when they looked up, the saw only One (Mtt 17). The cloud was not darkness and storm but the presence of glory.

Let us remember the shadow of His wings (Ps 34), the shade of the apple tree (Ss 2:3), the cloud on the mountain (Ex 24:15), the shadow of a great rock in the desert (Is 32:2).

“Let us not be afraid of the shadows. Let us not be afraid of the clouds. We often meet Him in thick clouds. The shadow is the shadow of our Beloved. He is very near to the place where His shadow is” (Amy Carmichael).

This is why, though still in the shadow, we can sing.