I’ve been mulling over God’s promises of being our shade. In my grassy-lawn-suburban-context, it’s easy to hear “shade” and think of a luxurious oak or maple. 

You know — the kind with thick grass and a deep shadow that drops the temp on a lovely summer day? All with blue skies, white puffy clouds, and gentle breeze, of course! 

Similarly, when I hear “shade” I infer care-free rest. The ability to kick back, discard all responsibility, and leave the path (and everything else) behind me.

But this isn’t the shade and rest referenced in the Bible.

Shade would have been understood in its original context, happening in the desert where the path is rocky and desolate. There are no luxurious shade trees because the climate is so harsh. Only simple broom trees (picture below) that give mottled shade — but welcome relief.  

These trees grow along mountainous desert paths. The paths have limited visibility due to the terrain rising and falling, twisting and turning. You really can’t see what’s next to pace yourself or where the next spot of shade might be. 

And in that harsh landscape is God’s promise: 

As you walk this hard path I will be your shade when you need it. When you’ve reached your end — and can’t go one step further — I will be there, like a broom tree. The shade at your right hand. Your rest and your peace in your desolate places. I won’t leave you or forsake you. No, you may not abandon this path for another, but neither will you walk this path alone. I will be your rest.