Overshadow Me

About four years ago now, this word “overshadow” caught my attention in Luke chapter one and seems to have embedded itself in my spirit ever since. The Holy Spirit brings it back to my remembrance so often. I first began to study it after reading the passage where the angel Gabriel comes to the virgin Mary to tell her she is going to have a son. Remember after she asks him how this could be he says, “the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35) Powerful verse!

The Greek meaning for the word overshadow is: to throw a shadow upon, to envelope in a shadow, to overshadow. It goes on to say this overshadowing is like a vaporous cloud. In other words, its like a sheer, see-through, or transparent cloud that casts a shadow on a person. It is described as a shining cloud that surrounds and envelopes a person with brightness. And it’s used of the Holy Spirit exerting creative energy upon the womb of the virgin Mary and impregnating it (a use of the word which seems to have been drawn from the familiar Old Testament idea of a cloud as symbolizing the immediate presence and power of God. (Strongs)

Imagine that! I believe this overshadowing is available to any of us who believe. I love the thought of the Holy Spirit exerting His creative energy over me and bringing new life, new ideas, new possibilities, new understanding! All of us who believe and have invited Jesus into our lives have been spiritually impregnated by the Son of God! As He increases and I decrease His power is seen and lived out in me in miraculous ways.

There are several other places in scripture where this word or a form of it is used in scripture...

In Exodus 40:35, it says “Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.” This is the overshadowing.

Psalm 91:4 says, “He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart (a wall between you and your enemy).”

“While He was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him!’” Matthew 17:5

“As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.” Acts 5:15

What’s the result of the overshadowing according to these scriptures? In Exodus, it is the immediate presence and power of God entering our situation. In Psalm 91, it is the protection and safety of the covering the Holy Spirit provides. In the Matthew passage, Peter, James and John are with Jesus and have just witnessed His transfiguration. They were enveloped with this bright cloud that surrounded them and the voice of God spoke bringing new revelation of who Jesus was. And in Acts, the sick and hurting were healed. Wow!

May we pray for the Holy Spirit to overshadow us and fill us with His wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge and the fear of the LORD in the coming year (Isaiah 11:2). May 2011 bring the immediate presence and power of God into our lives like never before. God bless you!

Holy Ground

Wow, it's 2011! A brand new day, a brand new year, a brand new start! Genesis 1 goes all the way back to where it ALL began..."in the beginning God..."

It's been such a good day to curl up with a blanket and be still. Rain outside, wind blowing, the wonderful noise of a full house yet taken captive by the Book of Beginnings, the Book of Wisdom and Instruction, the Word of God. Something new captured my attention today as I read again the beginning chapters...

In Genesis 1, after God created light, and the sky to separate water from water (both out of nothing), then verses 9 &10 say, "And God said...'let dry ground appear'...God called the dry ground 'land'..."

Verse 11, "Then God said, 'Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees...'"

Then God created the sun, moon and stars, sea creatures and every winged bird (out of nothing).

In verse 24, "And God said, 'Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals...'"

Then in chapter 2, verse 7, "the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being."

Land is a precious commodity. A great investment. But it's more than that...there's something special about the land. In the very beginning God used the land, the earth's soil, the dust of the ground to produce life...vegetation came from the land, seed-bearing trees and plants; animals came from the earth; and the most special creation of all...MAN. (Pretty awesome side note...woman was the only thing God did not create from the ground or out of nothing. Genesis 2:21-23)

This is fascinating! Chapter 2, starting in the middle of verse 4, "When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens - and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground - "

Can you imagine that?

"Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden...and the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground..." (Gen. 2:8-9) AND, "the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air." (Gen. 2:19)

The ground!! The ground is hallowed; it's sacred. I'm not saying it is to be worshipped or anything like that...but, it's so biblically significant don't you think? I've heard it said, "there's something about a man and his land (or his desire to own a piece of land)." You know what I think? There's just something about God and the land!!

And these streams that watered the ground before a drop of rain ever fell on the earth? Read verses 10-14 of chapter 2:

"A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. The name of the first is the Pishon...the name of the second river is the Gihon...the name of the third river is the Tigris...and the fourth river is the Euphrates."

Look what the names of these rivers mean:

Pishon means = "increase"
Gihon means = "bursting forth"
Tigris (or Hiddekel) means = "rapid"
Euphrates means = "fruitfulness"

It so blows me away that when God began creating the heavens and the earth, it was all for us! God created everything for man. He didn't need any of it for Himself. He had it all! But, He created everything we know on earth and it was "very" good. Everything He does is good! And out from this garden the LORD God planted for man came "increase," "bursting forth" like "rapids" on a rolling river bringing "fruitfulness!" How Great is our God?!

What an outrageous beginning!! I'm so glad to know that I share this new beginning with the One who began it all. And that same One will walk with me through every day of 2011. I love You, Lord. You are Amazing to me!!