More Than Shadows
The shadows fade when the Light steps in.
Devotional Credit: Day by Day by Grace by Bob Hoekstra
Photo Credit: Unsplash
God’s law, with all its rituals and regulations, served a sacred but temporary role—it cast a shadow of the reality to come. That reality is Christ. The Sabbath rest, the Tabernacle dwelling, the feasts and festivals—all were outlines sketching a fuller picture that would be revealed in Jesus Himself. When grace came through Christ, the outlines were filled in with living color.
The Sabbath wasn’t just about taking a day off—it pointed to a deeper kind of rest. Not just relief from labor, but relief from striving. Not merely pausing work, but entering into a Person. Jesus doesn’t give rest like a day gives rest. He is rest. That’s why those who believe enter rest even now.
Likewise, the Tabernacle wasn’t merely a tent for rituals. It was a divine whisper that God longs to dwell with us. But now in Christ, we don’t camp around a central tent. We are the temple. Christ dwells not near us, but within us. What the Tabernacle symbolized, Jesus fulfilled. What the Sabbath hinted at, He now lives out through us. The law pointed forward with shadows. Grace brought the substance. And the substance is Christ.
✍🏼 Personalized Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I was never interested in external forms. I gave the shadows only to prepare your heart for the arrival of the substance. I wanted you to long for Me. Not merely for a day of the week or a sacred space—but for the Rest and the Presence that only I can provide.
The Sabbath pointed to Me because I alone quiet the anxious striving of the soul. When you come to Me, I give more than relief—I give Myself. Rest is not the absence of effort; it is the presence of abiding. And when you believe, you step into that rest—right now, in the middle of your day, not just once a week.
The Tabernacle pointed to Me too, because I have always desired to dwell in you, not around you. I pitched My tent among My people, but now I make My home in you. I no longer dwell in a building made by hands but in your heart made new by grace.
You are not chasing shadows anymore. You are walking with the Light. Let Me be your rest. Let Me be your center. Let Me be your everything.
Scriptures referenced: Hebrews 10:1; Colossians 2:16–17; Exodus 20:8; Matthew 11:28–29; Hebrews 4:3; Exodus 25:8–9; Numbers 1:50; John 1:14; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 3:17
🧺 Real-Life Analogy
It’s like receiving a hand-drawn sketch of someone you love long before you ever meet them in person. The sketch is meaningful—it gives you a glimpse, stirs your affection, builds your anticipation. But when they walk through the door, you no longer cling to the drawing. You run to them. Because now the real person has arrived—and their presence is everything.
🙏🏼 Prayer of Confidence
Father, I thank You that I no longer live in the shadows. In Christ, I’ve received the substance—Your rest, Your presence, Your life in me. I rejoice that I don’t have to chase symbols or rituals to get near to You. You dwell in me. And You are my rest. I trust You today, moment by moment, to live through me and to be the center of all I do. Thank You that the waiting is over and the fulfillment has come—in Jesus.