The headlines also spoke of launching multiple air strikes. Again.

Jesus taught us, saying: ‘Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a peace which the world cannot give, this is my gift to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. John 14:27

The LORD Himself watches over you; the LORD is your shade at your right hand, So that the sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. Psalm 121

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, abides under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

Even though I know it is not exactly the same thing, as I wandered the rather bleak and quite harsh hills of Greece, I thought about all of the thousands and thousands of feet who have joined me in that scrabbling journey under the rather ruthless albeit bright blue sky over the centuries. Paul, for instance. And goatherds and shepherds. 

And I am from Tucson. This morning’s headlines are “July was hot, hot, hot, plenty miserable, too.” And it is now August.

And Dustin who spends his days on top of trailer roofs replacing coolers knows all about the sun and shade. And lack thereof.

We really can’t provide our own shade.

And sometimes we sort of try. Sunday morning I was standing in a black asphalt parking lot and I tried really hard to be shade. I turned my back to the sun and tried to look away and squinted and hunch over, but it was still there. Life. Pounding down on me.

But the LORD Himself in my shade. I can tuck myself right up under His wing, in the shadow of the Almighty. In His gift of peace.

Not as the world gives, fragile and easily smashed and dependent on circumstances, but as He gives, dependent on the Most High and glorious God.

Do not let my heart be troubled or afraid.
He is my shade. 

And the last chapter is called “The Healing of the Harms."

Ten piedad de mí, oh Dios, ten piedad de mí,
porque en ti se refugia mi alma;
en la sombra de tus alas me ampararé
hasta que la destrucción pase. Salmo 57:1

Turn to me and have mercy upon me; give Your strength to Your servant; and save Your child. Psalm 86:16

Blessed be the Lord day by day, the God of our salvation, who bears our burdens. Psalm 68:19

Jesus taught us, saying: ‘Come to me, all you who labor and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.’ Matthew 11:28

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful, for I have taken refuge in you; in the shadow of your wings will I take refuge until the time of trouble has gone by. I will call upon the Most High God, the God who maintains my cause. He will send from heaven and save me; he will confound those who trample upon me; God will send forth His love and his faithfulness. I lie in the midst of lions that devour the people; their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongue a sharp sword. They have laid a net for my feet, and I am bowed low; they have dug a pit before me, but have fallen into it themselves. Psalm 57:1-5

So really my favorite thing to do right now, in this sorting out period is read the Narnia Chronicles. And as I curled up with my very favoritest one yesterday, The Silver Chair, and with my favoritest character, good old Puddleglum, God spoke to me again and again. And yes, whomever I was talking to last week, I think C. S. Lewis is definitely anointed, and that the Spirit has spoken through his wise words to many a soul throughout time.

And some of the bits are just practical, such as ““Crying is all right in its way while it lasts. But you have to stop sooner or later, and then you still have to decide what to do,” and “Life isn't all fricasseed frogs and eel pie,” and “You do not see as quite as well as you think,“ there are some profound eternal truths wrapped up in particularly the webbed-foot, stringy-haired marshwiggle, that speak gospel truth to my aching heart.

“...Aslan didn't tell Pole what would happen. He only told her what to do. That fellow will be the death of us once he's up, I shouldn't wonder. But that doesn't let us off following the signs.” 

“Don't you mind," said Puddleglum. "There are no accidents. Our guide is Aslan; and he was there when the giant king caused the letters to be cut, and he knew already all things that would come of them; including this.” 

“One word, Ma'am," he said, coming back from the fire; limping, because of the pain. "One word. All you've been saying is quite right, I shouldn't wonder. I'm a chap who always liked to know the worst and then put the best face I can on it. So I won't deny any of what you said. But there's one more thing to be said, even so. Suppose we have only dreamed, or made up, all those things-trees and grass and sun and moon and stars and Aslan himself. Suppose we have. Then all I can say is that, in that case, the made-up things seem a good deal more important than the real ones. Suppose this black pit of a kingdom of yours is the only world. Well, it strikes me as a pretty poor one. And that's a funny thing, when you come to think of it. We're just babies making up a game, if you're right. But four babies playing a game can make a play-world which licks your real world hollow. That's why I'm going to stand by the play world. I'm on Aslan's side even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it. I'm going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn't any Narnia. So, thanking you kindly for our supper, if these two gentlemen and the young lady are ready, we're leaving your court at once and setting out in the dark to spend our lives looking for Overland. Not that our lives will be very long, I should think; but that's a small loss if the world's as dull a place as you say.” 

But most of all, I am reminded that the enemy is the Liar, who wraps me up with coils as green as poison, with a forked tongue that flickers in and out horribly, but whose head can be hacked off with the sword of truth, even if the horrible thing can keep coiling and moving after it dies, and leaves quite a nasty mess.

I lie in the midst of the Liar who devours the people; his teeth are spears and arrows, his tongue a sharp sword, but God will send forth His love and his faithfulness.

I will call upon the Most High God.

Selah.