“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Ps. 91:1, NKJV).
Abiding in His shadow. What an exquisite place to be! This is the same place as what Jesus described to us here: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5, NKJV).
There is an intimate connection between abiding and fruit-bearing. Psalm 91 emphasizes the protection benefit of abiding. John 15 emphasizes the fruitfulness benefit of the same.
The other day, we talked about learning to walk in Jesus’ protection. Today, Holy Spirit has something else for us about this. As we learn to live in His shadow, fruit is going to result. Specifically, “much fruit.” I have a tree in my yard that took an unusually long time to come up with just one lemon. That is not the spiritual picture Jesus is giving us. “Much fruit” means all sorts of luscious goodness being produced on our branches!
Branches. Yes, Jesus calls us His branches. The implications of this are marvelous. Throughout the Bible, branches are a symbol of refreshing shade and shelter. Here is an example: “Under it will dwell birds of every sort; in the shadow of its branches they will dwell” (Ezek. 17:23, NKJV, emphasis mine). As Jesus’ branches, we get to extend His shelter to others that need it. They will find the refuge of His love when they get around us. Our company will be safe and soothing to them. This is a vital aspect of our fruitfulness as we abide in Him.
I am amazed when I consider another application of this truth, in the example of our brother Peter. He had heard from Jesus’ lips that he would do even greater works than His Master (John 14:12). He took Jesus at His word, and so should we. Peter saw how healing flowed through his Teacher’s life. He heard Jesus say that the same healing power should flow through his. In the book of Acts we see him walking in it.
“…They brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed” (Acts 5:15-16, NKJV, emphasis mine).
Peter had learned to abide in Jesus. As a result, he was bearing much fruit. As he learned to abide in the shadow of the Most High, his own shadow had become a blessing to others.
Abide in Him today. Abide in His love. Dwell in His secret place. Drink deeply of His love for you, and you will see that it will overflow into the lives of others who so desperately need it. They will want to hang out in your shadow.
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For you personally, what is it like to abide in God? How do you experience it?
Feeding On Jesus 
Amen!
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Great post Jennifer! For me abiding in Him is the ultimate expression of faith in action. No matter how my health goes I adide in Him, trusting Him for provision and blessing. God bless you sister.
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Yes and amen, my brother. That is so good. That dependence of full trust really is the essence of faith, thank you for sharing that. May He richly bless you too!
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They are drawn to us by His shadow. Wow,thank you for sharing this concept of His shadow. Could at time your shadow be too strong and people would flee from you. I get that a lot, even Pastor’s.
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That is good food for thought, Rosemary, thank you for sharing it. I guess it wholly depends on what is in the heart of the individual. Jesus did tell us that those who are living in darkness and love the darkness more than the light will naturally have an aversion to the light in us.
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Jenn! What an amazing message! God is so good. 🙌 I am thankful to be in your shadow, for real. The intimacy you have with Him is tangible, beautiful, and spills onto all those around you. For me personally, I do best at abiding when I have regular time in the Word, spend time reading your devo blogs(I am not just saying that) and when I fill my day with worship music. I love to intercede for people throughout the day, but this is an area I could use growth in as I get caught up in the busyness of teaching and the to-do list!
I’ll repost that vision God gave me a couple of days ago that was confirmed by this blog post. Holy Spirit wants you to know that none of your labor is in vain or escaping His notice! You are an excellent tree climber—fruit distributer!
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Chuckling joyfully to read your words. You have to know that you are one of the people that Daddy God has most used to encourage me! I receive all of that so gratefully. I also love hearing about your journey of abiding, and it is SO precious that you intercede for people as you go! As for needing to grow, don’t we all?? I know I do!! I love you, dear friend ❤ 🙂 ❤
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Hi Jennifer,
I love how you wrote about us as being the branches of Jesus Christ and how we extend shelter to others. I’ve never heard of it put that way before.
Abiding in God for me, means surrendering my life to God every day through individual prayer, prayer with my Husband, reading The Bible on my own every day and reading it daily with my Husband also. The list goes on with Bible Study and serving in Church, but in terms of day to day, God really is the foundation of my daily routine.
I suffer from Bipolar Disorder and so I am on ten tablets a day to help manage my mental illness. The other day, I got so angry and upset over ways that I have been struggling with my condition and all the times I have struggled. Then I realised that despite the ongoing battle, that not only I face, but everyone faces with different various circumstances in life, that because I have Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I actually have been managing pretty well, despite it all and I understand that this has only been and continues to be because of His grace and the strength that I am able to draw from Him.
Funny thing is, I don’t know what my life would be like had I not been diagnosed with this mental illness, as I believe it led me straight into the arms of my Savior. So I see how in that way, how it was a blessing in disguise and with every day, I do my utmost best to draw closer to God in everything that I do. I truly could not and would never want to spend a day without drawing close to Jesus Christ .
God bless.
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