Verse of the Day for June 13

The first verse of Psalm ninety one is full of staying words. He that dwelleth in the secret place, and then shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Dwell. Abide. Nobody dwells anywhere for an afternoon.

These are words for people who stay put, which is hard when life is moving slowly. When progress is slow we want to go looking for somewhere faster. Another church, another plan, another version of ourselves. The psalm points the other way. Stay under the shadow.

Shade is not dramatic. You only notice it when the sun is fierce, and you only benefit from it if you remain inside it. Stepping in and out does little. The protection is for those who live there.

Verse two then moves from description to speech. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress. It is something said out loud, perhaps many times, perhaps on days when it does not yet feel true.

If your recovery, your savings, your marriage or your studies are moving at a crawl, slow does not mean wrong. Keep dwelling. Say the sentence again this evening, the way a farmer walks the same field each day long before anything breaks the soil.

Shade only helps the one who stays in it.

Calling God your refuge on a slow day is not pretending, it is dwelling.