...things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. Colossians 2:17 NASB

A spectacular sunrise view meets my eyes at daybreak. Pink, orange, and yellow hues cast across the sky, and it is as if God is presently painting with various brushstrokes on a wide-open blank canvas. The sheer beauty of the brilliant sky lights up the shore each morning and stuns me every time.

But the past few mornings I have noticed the shadows. After the waves break and as the water recedes, a shadow of the quiet sunrise observers remains in the shallow pool. The lovely reflection does not last long. It is elusive. However, when I see it, it is beautiful. The shadow is the build-up of what is to come.

Foreshadowing exists in every good story. Foreshadowing points the reader to the reality. It is a mere shadow of what is to come.

John the Baptist brought a glimpse of what he hoped his cousin would fulfill. He laid his hope in Jesus from the very beginning.

John grew up in a Jewish home, so he would have studied the Scriptures and understood the foreshadowing that had taken place throughout the centuries because so many stories in the Old Testament foreshadowed the coming of Christ.

• Jesus is the offspring of the woman (Genesis 3:15).
• All nations and generations to come are blessed through Him (Genesis 26:4).
• Jesus is the Lamb of God (Exodus 12; Revelation 5:12).
• Jesus suffers as a result of others actions (Genesis 50:12).
• Jesus is the Rock that provides everlasting water (1 Corinthians 10:3-4).

The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming--not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. Hebrews 10:1 NIV

There was a beautiful shadow from the beginning time whose source was the body of Christ. And everything we see today leads up to the reality of His return (Hebrews 9:28, Matthew 24:44).

Heavenly Father, I praise You for Your presence in the shadow. Your presence is beautiful and full of abounding grace. In Your presence there is fullness of joy, hope, and expectation! Thank You for sending Your Son, the source of the shadow, and for helping us keep our eyes fixed on Him who is beyond the shadow. In Him I place my focus and in Him I rest today until His great return! In the precious name of Jesus I pray, Amen.