On February 2, some people were concerned about whether a certain groundhog saw his shadow or not.  The names of groundhogs very from one area to another, but all of them are believed to predict whether we will have six more weeks of winter weather or not. 

        “Words from Above” in the Bible have some important things to say about shadows, but not whether groundhogs will see their shadows or not.

One of the things the Bible says about shadows is that God considers His people to be the “apple of His eye” and as a result He hides us under the “shadow of His wings”.  This suggests that God protects us, like a mother hen protects her young by hiding them under her wings.

        In Acts 5, we read about God giving His disciples the ability to do signs and wonders among the people of the day.  Verse 15 tells us that the people brought their sick into the streets and laid them on beds and couches “that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow them”.  Verse 16 tells us that multitudes of people brought their sick as well as those with unclean spirits, and every one of them was healed.

        The Bible also speaks about God being with us as we walk through what Psalm 23 calls “the valley of the shadow of death”.  We often hear about people being afraid of their own shadow, but in reality, we have no reason to be afraid of a shadow.  A shadow is created when an object of some kind blocks the rays of the sun or some other kind of light. Therefore, a shadow has no real power in and of itself to cause us harm.  So, for this reason, the writer of Psalm 23 says that walking through the valley of the shadow of death gave him no reason to fear.  Furthermore, he knew that God would be with him as he walked through the valley of the shadow of death.

        Just like people seem to be afraid of their own shadow, some people also fear death.  However, the only real reason to fear death is when we are not ready to experience death.  Hebrews 9:27 says that “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment”.   When people are not ready to face the judgment of God, they have a real reason to fear death because the judgment of God is very real.  Death has been described as a “door into our eternal destiny”, so if we are ready to face the judgment of God, then our destiny will be a blessing, not a curse.

Larry R. Steffee is pastor of the Center Hill Brethren In Christ Church on Miller Road in Smithville.  Everyone is welcome to attend.  For information, you may email lrsteffeetn@yahoo.com.