Under the ShadowSýnishorn

A Secret Place

A few months ago, I had the great privilege of spending some days of rest in the Atacama Desert, Chile, a fascinating place, with my family and some friends. We took a break from technology, because we wanted to be totally disconnected from the world without any signal or internet on our cell phones.

On one of those very hot afternoons, we went to visit a white sand beach. We were dressed normally, with no intention of going into the sea. After 45 minutes, we began to notice that the sun was so strong that we could no longer stand it. We looked around, but there was no shade and no place to take shelter from the sun, so we decided to go back home.

The next morning, several of us woke up in pain, realizing how much the sun had burned us during the short time we were exposed. I was brown, as if I had come from the Caribbean, but my friend from England had turned as red as a tomato.

You're wondering why I'm telling you this.

This experience made me think of what Psalm 91 says: God has for each of us, His children, a place to dwell, to take refuge, to experience His protection, His care and His comfort; a secret place under His shadow.

Where do you go when you are distressed or worried? Have you ever thought of God as a place to take refuge?

Many of us live in worry and fear, but this psalm reminds us that, if we make God our refuge, we will not be afraid at night nor during the day. If we put our trust in God, just by opening our eyes we will be witnesses to His justice.