“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1)
“Behold, I make all things new” (Revelation 21:5).
It is only fitting that on the first day of this new year that these should be the words the Lord puts on my mind. It was the latter that came first, from the time I woke up until now. A new year, a new thing. I find in Scripture that God is always at work, always creating, always doing something that hasn’t been done before. Life in the natural reflects this. Take technology for example; almost daily there is something new and extraordinary coming out. In the auto industry, there is constantly new innovations to what is simply a vehicle to get you down the road.
With God however it is a new chapter in the book of your life that you’ve not read before, because it hasn’t been written. Well, it has been written by God, you just haven’t lived it yet—it is new to you.
God knows the story-line for the coming year. You may still have the same job, look the same, live in the same place, and be married to the same woman (you’d better be!). And you may well hold to the same routine as you did this past year. But this year will be unlike any other, because Jesus makes all things new. For you, His purpose further unfolds in your life. As a follower of Christ you will grow—maybe leaps and bounds, or perhaps in small, subtle ways. No doubt you will face challenges you’ve not faced before, these will be new, as well as the means you employ to overcome them.
My sense, though, is that what God means as He brings this to my attention is something new new, as in really new. As in a “new thing.” A new endeavor. A new modus operandi. A new creation. A new perspective. A new, life-altering revelation. A new relationship or ministry. A new kind of fruit you’ve never bore before. A new work. Something brand, sparkling new. Maybe even a new you.
I like new. I like new technology and always want the most updated device. I especially like what God does, as what He does is lasting, is permanent. He is a builder, and what He does is add on to what He has previously built. He renews, refreshes, embellishes. Sometimes He tears down and then reconstructs, but always, always on the firm foundation He has already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
These words birth expectation in my soul. God is up to something and I incline my ear to hear and my heart to receive. Like waiting for the light to turn green or the water to boil (for coffee) or the meal to be served when super hungry. Jesus makes all things new. Perhaps it is just that—the day-to-day, the things you always do, your life all-inclusive, He’s going to make it like new. There’ll be a newness to everything—everything.
THEN there is life in the shadow. When I first laid eyes on those words I pictured being close to Jesus, near Him. In proximity to Jesus His shadow is cast upon us. He is big and we are small, so being nearby we can enjoy what is really His presence. I think of abiding, being in close relationship with Him—a “living communion” as Wuest would put it. There is peace there, shelter from the heat of the day, and the comfort of knowing God is close by. The thing is, to remain in His shadow you’ve got to move with Him. When He gets up to go, you get up to go also. When He pauses, you pause. It’s like the yoke He speaks of. You’re on the one side, and He is on the other; you’re joined to Him and you go when and where He goes.
It is a safe place. No matter your circumstances or what is going on around you, in the shadow you’re secure. It’s like having a big brother; when he’s around no one touches you. Like a mother with her newborn; he never leaves her embrace, never is he out of her sight.
You have to keep step with Him though. You can’t let up. Life in God’s shadow is up to you. It’s a dwelling place, a place you live, a responsibility you have to stay put. Don’t let Him out of your sight. Don’t hang back and let Him get ahead of you. You have to stay near Him; this is your job.
I am thinking the two are linked—life in the shadow and Jesus making all things new. In proximity to God there is this dynamic, this power, this creative force that is constantly flowing. As Paul writes, “God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” Not just able, but He does it in the life of the one who believes He will do it.
I begin 2017 with this expectation, that God will indeed do something way, way beyond what I’ve asked or believed Him for to date. By the grace of God I’ll find my spot in His shadow and stay there. In this place I will experience in this new year what I’ve never experienced before, something completely new, something absolutely good. Amen.