Shade and sulking

“The Lord watches over you –

the Lord is your shade at your right hand;

the sun will not harm you by day,

nor the moon by night.”

Psalm 121:5-6 (NIV)

I love the sunshine - and all that comes with our British summer. There’s something deeply satisfying about the warmth, the long evenings, and the refreshing shandies at the pub after a hot day. The heat can be glorious, but it also slows us down. Whether we’re walking the dog, tending the garden, or delivering worship in a sun-baked church, everything seems to take longer. The brain fog creeps in. 

At this time of year, I’m usually handing in an essay, and you’ll often find a photo of me frantically typing on my laptop, feet stretched out in the grass of a beautiful field, soaking up the sunshine. Not the most productive way to write! And somewhere between the second cup of tea and the third complaint about the weather, we begin to realise: maybe we’re not meant to rush through everything.

In many hotter countries, working habits are built around the midday heat - an acknowledgment that it’s hard to be at our best in those conditions. When it's really hot, we slow down. We stop. We rest. Even our large fluffy dog knows this - she finds the coolest patch of floor she can and flops down, taking care of herself far better than we often do.

Psalm 121 offers us a deeper understanding of the need for rest and shade. In talking about “shade,” the psalm presents it as more than just relief from the heat. Shade is a sign of care, of protection, of God’s presence in the demanding conditions of life. If God is our shade and he delights in caring for us, then perhaps whenever we step into the shade this week, we might remember Psalm 121 - that God is watching over us, protecting and sustaining us, even in the heat of life’s pressures.

I can’t help but contrast this with Jonah’s reaction to the shade that God gave him. In the final chapter of Jonah’s story, God provides a leafy plant to give him better comfort in the sun. When that plant withers, Jonah becomes furious. He is angry at God for being merciful to others and annoyed at the loss of his comfort. It’s a comical picture, but also painfully human.

Like Jonah, we can become so focused on our expectations, our discomfort, or our ideas of how things should go that we miss the deeper point. Even in the middle of our struggles and frustrations, God is right there, offering grace & mercy, teaching us and guiding us. While Jonah raged about a temporary plant, Psalm 121 reassures us that God offers a far more lasting shelter; a permanent presence, faithfully watching over us with compassion and kindness. Both when we get our way and when we don’t, and when ministry is fruitful and when it’s not.

The invitation this week isn’t just to find shade, but to recognise it - in quiet moments, in unexpected pauses, in a neighbour’s kind gesture, or in the holy permission to sit rather than strive. And maybe, unlike Jonah, we can let go of the sulking, slow down in the heat and receive God’s presence with a bit more peace - and even joy.

After all, the Lord is our shade.

Jo Allen

Joint CEO, Rural Ministries