I sat down under His shadow with great delight.

"As the apple among the trees of the wood, so is my Beloved among the sons. I sat down under His shadow with great delight, and His fruit was sweet to my taste."

Son 2:3 KJV

Deep communion with the Lord begins with a clear appreciation and adoration of His graciousness and glory. It comes with a revelation in my heart of who He is and what He has done. Grant me a tender heart that appreciates You more than ever. I want to just behold thy beauty and gaze at you until I am lost in your presence.

No one compares with You in all the world. As the apple tree stands out tall and towering among all the trees of the wood, so is my Beloved among the sons. Your glory is above all the earth. You are above all else and none else comes near you in stature. The apple is a fruit so highly cherished for its sweetness and for its healing virtues. It is used to represent a very precious treasure that must be preserved and protected at all costs. The hymn writer says:

“I want You more than gold or silver, only You can satisfy.

You alone are the real joy-giver; and the apple of my eye.

I want You more than gold or silver, only You can satisfy.

You alone are the real joy-giver; and the apple of my eye.

You are the apple of my eye. You are the focus of my heart and none compares with you among all the trees of the woods. Lord, You are fairer than ten thousands of men to my soul. All the treasure of this world will be nothing more than trash to me compared with the treasure of knowing You and possessing You as my very own. This is what must engage all my powers and affection henceforth.

'I sat down under His shadow with great delight' What a matter for my heart! Admiring and adoring the Lord will be vague unless I learn to sit down with delight under His shadow. Whereas Elijah on his way out of the ministry began to sit under the juniper tree, asking for the Lord to take his life, I have found the right place to sit down and get refreshed for my journey. Those who dwell in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. To sit under the shadow of the Lord is to be shielded from the scotching heat of the sun and to hide my defenseless head from the fowler, who is seeking to pluck my eyes from its socket.

What a place to rest daily. What a place to abide. I sat down... I have come to the place of rest where I can sit down. But the exciting aspect is that I sat down under His shadow with great delight. It is not with a frown, as if I am being compelled. It is with relish and with utmost satisfaction. It is not like the bird in a cage, ever crying to be released to fly off. I sat down with delight under His shadow. O Lord, let thy presence be my delight. Let me exult at every opportunity to sit down at your feet and under your shadow.

It is the best place to be in the noonday. It is the best shelter for a man on pilgrimage like me. It is the place of renewal. It is the place I can draw fresh strength. Actually it is the place where I not only refuel, but where I change my engine oil, for better lubrication and smooth running.

"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall rest under the shadow of the Almighty."Psa 91:1

"Even the young shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall;Isa 40:30

But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired. 

Isa 40:31 AMP

And this is what I must learn to do if I will not run dry. I must wait to change my oils and renew my inner strength and power. It must be my delight to sit down under His shadow and let Him refill me and rekindle my fire and gauge my tyres and then ignite me afresh for the journey ahead of me. All who ran their race to the glorious end learnt to take a break to sit down at His feet under His shadow lest they break down.

O Lord, I have seen the bane of running and getting weary. It is useless to run around where there is no fresh oil. It is very dry and boring. When the oil has lost its viscosity because of overuse and excessive high temperatures, it becomes watery. It does not absorb any friction again. There is overheating within the systems. Movement is now bone to bone, iron to iron. There is much noise, but little achievement. I have seen much sweat, but little or no result. I must not knock this engine before I come to sit down for renewal. It will be a disservice to my generation to knock this engine at this early stage of the journey into the promises. I must come in to sit down.

Draw me away O Lord. I have heard You speak so clearly. Help me to come up thither and be there. Let me sit down under your shadow with great delight and with unveiled face beholding your glory, so that I can be changed to your own likeness from one degree of glory to another.