Healing in the Shadow

Lately, I’ve found myself drawn deeper into the Secret Place with Jesus. It’s where my heart realigns with His. The Secret Place isn’t about a physical location—it’s a sacred space of intimacy and connection with Jesus, one-on-one. It’s where striving stops and resting begins.

Psalm 91:1 paints a beautiful picture of this:

"Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty" (NIV).

That phrase—“the shadow of the Almighty”—has been sitting with me lately. There’s something powerful and protective about a shadow. It covers. It shields. It stays close. When we live in close communion with the Father, His shadow covers us. We live in His presence, His authority, and His love. That’s where we find true rest.

Rest has been a long-term theme the Lord continues to remind me of. Even in seasons of building, growing, and labouring, there’s still a call to rest—not from laziness, but from trust. Trusting Jesus to do what we can’t. Trusting Him to take our steps of obedience and faith and multiply them into something far greater than we could dream up on our own (Ephesians 3:20).

The Secret Place is where we learn His ways, hear His heart, and are reminded of who we really are. As we abide in Him, our identity is shaped by His presence—not by titles, achievements, or man’s approval. We shed the need to people-please or perform because our confidence becomes rooted in the Father’s delight in us. As we see ourselves through His eyes, we begin to walk with greater authority, confident in whose we are and what we carry. That’s where freedom and purpose begin to flourish.

Interestingly, the other day I was reading Psalm 91 and Acts 5—and it stirred something in me.

Acts 5:15–16 (NLT) says:

"As a result of the apostles' work, sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that Peter’s shadow might fall across some of them as he went by. Crowds came from the villages around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those possessed by evil spirits, and they were all healed."

Can we just pause on that? People were healed in Peter’s shadow. That kind of power and presence doesn’t come from a platform—it comes from the Secret Place. Peter had been with Jesus. He knew what it meant to dwell in the shadow of the Almighty, and that shadow stayed with him. His life was evidence of what happens when we live closely connected to God—boldness in Acts 4, healing in Acts 5, and a legacy that still speaks today.

The same is available to us if we will prioritize time spent with Him above all the demands the world places on us.

There is healing in the Secret Place. There is rest. There is boldness. There is identity.

If you’ve been feeling weary, unsure, or disconnected, I encourage you to carve out space for Jesus this week. You don’t have to strive for it—just show up. Bring your whole heart to Him. Make room for stillness, for listening, and for soaking in His presence.

Let His shadow rest on you.

If you liked this post and want to explore the topic of rest more, check out my post Finding Rest in the Father's Arms.