"Cloud Shadows"

Have you ever seen cloud shadows,

A driftin’ cross the plains,

Or maybe in the mountains,

On some majestic range.

The sky immense and, oh, so blue,

The long horizons see,

O’er herds of cattle, small as dots,

The shadows flow so free.

The grass is two shades darker,

Where the big cloud shadow falls,

And you may smell a hint of rain,

Before the wind it calls.

Or maybe there’s no rain at all,

The clouds too swift to wait,

They gallop on across the sky,

Like God unlatched the gate.

I think of God’s own shadow,

And what the Psalmist said,

‘Bout living there within it,

Life free from fear and dread.

And like the song that old Blake sings,

The Savior’s shadow there,

Is where we want to live our lives,

And cast on Him our care.

Cloud shadows will remind us,

If our hearts are listening close,

That we can trust God’s presence,

Just when we need Him most.

Have you seen cloud shadows,

Rolling cross the plains,

And can you hear them whispering,

The Lord’s voice calls your name.

“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty…” (Psalm 91:1, NLT)

David understood what it meant to be persecuted and on the run. From his youth as a lion, bear and giant killer to his days as an outlaw running from the king, he had a keen sense that the only real place of refuge was the Lord’s presence. Some of the most powerful things anyone has ever said or written about God are found in David’s psalms, and in them there is a recurring theme: you can rest in God’s shadow. He also speaks of the valley of the shadow of death, but even there he will fear no evil. Why? Because the Lord is with him. The clouds cast long shadows as they move above the vastness of God’s creation. But more powerful still is the shadow cast by God’s great presence. We can live there and find refuge.

Lord, help us rest in Your shadow, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Mark Maggiori, markmaggiori.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Mark, and God bless you.