The Cooling Shadow

He shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Psaum xci. 1.

TuatT is the all-sufficient safeguard against the perils of feverishness. In “‘ the shadow of the Almighty” we are sheltered from all destructive heat — the heat of burning fear, the heat of temper, the heat of fretfulness, and every other form of unholy fire which so often destroys the delicate treasures of the soul. The shadow of the Almighty will keep us cool and collected, and all our powers will do their work in quietness. Every day we encounter friction in some mode or another, and friction always tends to engender a dangerous heat. Sometimes the friction is occasioned by the encounter of unwelcome circumstances, perhaps a rough piece of duty, or perhaps the unwise obstinacy of a friend or fellow-worker, or again it may be the merest trifle, like a grain of dust inflaming the eye. The friction may come in a thousand ways, and the spiritual peril is in the heat which accompanies it.

Now in all these inflammatory perils our safety is to turn into “‘ the shadow of the Almighty.’”? And we must do it consciously. It is not a long and tedious journey. It is even a shorter step than passing from the hot streets of Ludgate Hill into the deep and restful shadows of St. Paul’s. Nay, just a prayer and our soul is in the shade! The holy Lord breathes ‘“‘through the pulses of desire His coolness and His balm.’’ In that gracious coolness we can rest and collect ourselves when the hot breezes are blowing over our lives. The shadow of the Almighty is precious for all who are in peril of “the destruction that wasteth at noonday.” Let such pilgrims turn to that secret place, and they will find the blessed Lord within the shadow, and He will be host unto the weary soul, imparting His own quietness and peace.