“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.””Psalm 91:1-2 ESV
Reflection: how does our obedience impact the work God is doing?
Some time ago, I had an opportunity to meet someone who could open a number of doors for me. The meeting was what I would call a “divine intervention”, something God had planned because of how it came about and what it meant. How I was ultimately led to this meeting. There was no way the set of events leading up to this was just random or by coincidence. I remember walking out of this meeting, experiencing such deep joy, even hearing the Lord telling me “See what I am doing?” But, many months went by and really nothing came of it. Kind of strange, don’t you think? I mean, if this really was the will of Father God, how could this not have led to an amazing outcome? To the blessings that I know were there waiting for me? Did I perhaps misread the situation?
Psalm 91 is such a treasure. I was reminded this morning of two aspects of the situation I described above. First the “shadow” of the Lord Almighty. If we think for a moment about shadows, while they are not the physical object or person, they indicate that something is there. And, if you think about how we perceive and experience God in this world, we can in a similar way see or experience His “shadow”. While we don’t see Him physically, we can see an outline of His presence, through the work He is doing, mostly carried out by His people. A sudden phone call, an unlikely series of events, or circumstances that is difficult or impossible to explain, might indicate His presence. In a way His shadow, as you notice Him at work. We just know that He is there. It is amazing to experience.
But, as mentioned in my opening story, what if nothing comes of it? Did the Lord perhaps change His mind? Let’s look at the second verse of Psalm 91. “I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.””Psalm 91:2 ESV. Notice here the psalmist is pointing to his own action, what he has to do in order to experience the abiding “in the shadow of the Almighty” – he has to put his trust in Him. That means, he has to be obedient to God, to follow Him. Let’s think of an example here. You have probably experienced a sudden urge, deep down, to do something for someone, that you cannot explain. It might not make sense to you, a random thought perhaps. It might be something simple like meeting a brother or sister for coffee to encourage them. Or send them a specific Bible verse. Or just ask them how they are doing. Or maybe something practical, like helping them or forwarding a resume for them. Whatever the case may be, if it is doing something kind, something selfless from your side. Most likely, this is the Lord prompting you to do this.
If we are obedient in that moment, we actually have a part in what God is doing. What He desires to accomplish. We are His hands and feet in this world. However, if we hesitate, reject, or even put our own selfish “spin” on what He has told to do, we in a way disrupt or corrupt God’s plan. I have no doubt that God had great things planned for me in my opening story. But, somewhere along the way, I believe someone might not have been obedient to God, carrying out His good will.
Now you might argue that God will still accomplish His will and plans. In the big scheme of things, yes, but we can have a significant impact on carrying out His will and plans to those around us. It is so amazing, and deeply humbling to think about that Almighty God chooses to use us to carry out His will and plans in this world. So we have to watch for His shadow, to listen to Him carefully, and to be obedient when He calls on us to do something for Him. And then, He promises for us that we get to walk, to dwell in His shelter and abide in His shadow.