The LORD Your Shade

The LORD is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.

(Psalm 121:5-6)

There is another name God reveals in this psalm: “The LORD Your Shade.” How close is your shadow? The LORD is just as close. The word for “shade” comes from a root that means “to hover over.” The LORD overshadows us to protect us from the burden of the day, but also from the fears that torment in the night.

You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
  Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
  Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

(Psalm 91:5-6)

When the LORD is at your right hand, He overshadows you with all the strength you need for any situation. With Him at your right hand, you are able to do what you could never do on your own.