“Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4)
That’s one of the most famous lines from one of the most famous Psalms (we’ll be studying it this Sunday).
In this scary and dangerous time…as we navigate “the darkest valley”…it is comforting to know God will protect us. David’s using a shepherd analogy and describes the shepherd’s two important tools: the rod and the staff.
A rod was a long, solid stick a shepherd would use to protect the sheep from intruders – he would beat them back. David knew this well. As a young shepherd boy, he once killed a lion and a bear who were attacking his fold. A staff was longer and thinner, with a crook on one end. If a sheep were to start to wander off or fall in a hole, the shepherd would place the crook around the neck of the sheep and pull it to safety.
God does the same thing with us. He protects us from dangers in the world. He beats back the enemy in our lives. He gives us spiritual gifts to see traps that the devil has laid for us. He gives us his Holy Spirit and authority over spiritual principalities which would long to see us dead. And, if we’re stupid, as sheep sometimes are, and we decide to leave the “right path” for our own path and fall into trouble, he is ready to rescue us and pull us back into the sheepfold.
I debate whether I need more protection from the enemy or from myself. But the question is moot. God protects me from both – because I am his.
Join us Sunday as we look at Psalm 23 together. And be comforted today – God is on watch over you and your loved ones. He will protect you!
