Welcome to My Beloved Shepherd blog, a personal meditation on Psalm 23 in the Bible. Today we’re going to look at the second half of verse four:
Your rod and your staff
They comfort me.
Ahhh, comfort! We all need a little comfort right now. Or a lot of comfort! Global, national, and personal turmoil is off the charts. We’re all tense and tight. Some are desperate and frightened. Seeking comfort in any form is at an all-time high.
But we have the comforts! Alcohol, food, TV, exercise, social media, shopping, sleep, sex, and gambling. And that’s just a few of the big ones; there are countless smaller ones most of us probably don’t realize we are using for comfort. The greater the need for comfort, the more we rely on these things to help us get through the day — or night. Until we can’t get through without them. What would it look like if you charted how often you turned to something for comfort or soothing? If we all had the courage to do that, I think it would be shocking and almost unbelievable the level of need for comfort we all have.
But as you know, this blog is especially for those of us on the broken path of life. Our need for comfort is very high and maybe even constant.
Our cruel past has left us with a gasp of pain that never fades. Instead, it increases daily, even hourly, until it is unbearable. You cannot outlast it. You must give it what it is crying, begging, screaming for. And — oh, the blessed relief when you do. Instantly, you feel better, sane, clear-headed. But it’s not long before that gasp of pain is back. If you’re like most of the rest of us, you don’t wait until you get that desperate. You give yourself little doses here and there to keep things running smoothly. The problem with that, as we all know so well, is that we need bigger and bigger doses more often.
But David found the answer!
Your rod and staff
They comfort me.
You might think, “Well David didn’t have Twitter on every device, liquor stores on every corner, and online gambling at his fingertips… Or Amazon.” But he had plenty. The need to comfort our anguished soul has always been a part of the human condition. That need drives us to find relief, no matter where or when we live.
But all these ways we comfort ourselves are ultimately empty, just a quick fix that doesn’t really fix anything. Imagine you had a brain tumor and didn’t know about it. But it gave you the worst headaches. You’d reach for a pain reliever like Tylenol or Advil, right? You might even get some relief. But the real cause of your headaches could never be addressed with a little red pill.
Back to David and Psalm 23. Verse four says,
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil, for you are with me
Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
In David’s darkest valley, when his need for comfort was at its greatest, he found that comfort in God. What if we could do that very same thing? When our desperate need is driving us into that dark yearning, we find comfort, soothing, and relief in God? Let that sink in for a minute. Instead of an empty and ultimately destructive compulsion, you turn to the love and power of God to rescue your soul. It’s the game-changer of all game-changers.
But how do we actually do that? Pray, go to church, say a verse?
Good question! I’ll answer that in the next blog. Haha, not really. I just thought we needed a little chuckle.
Imagine that every day, you drive through your favorite fast food place just for fries. Because you love fries, and this place has the best. Then, one day a neighbor tells you they know a place that has much better fries. What do you do? The next time you’re on your way for fries, you go to the new place instead, right?
That’s the first step in finding your ultimate comfort in God, you have to go to him, instead of your usual thing. Simple words but not so simple to do. It’s not as easy as driving down a different street for better fries. Your soul is locked into going the other way. But God knows this. He knows how hard it will be. So, he is kind, patient, loving, and waiting to help you.
Here are a few ways you can find that comfort.
- I’m going to start with the biggest, best, and most effective way you can feel God’s comfort. Imagine that it’s late at night, and you are lost in the woods. And it’s been raining. You are wet, cold, afraid, and miserable. Then, you see the light of a roaring campfire and hear people laughing. It’s your group you’ve been searching for. You step into their presence and suddenly everything changes. Everyone is happy to see you, someone puts a plate of food in your hands, you stand in front of that blazing fire, and your chill vanishes. Close your eyes and imagine it.
This is what it’s like to be in the presence of God — warmth, love, nurture, friendship, care, belonging. It’s the best feeling you will ever have. It’s way, WAY off the comfort scale! If you read my blog, “I See You — Right Here Beside Me”, I go into detail about this.
How do you find the presence of God and connect with him? I believe singing is the direct route. Praying, talking to God is good. But singing to him is something else altogether. Have you ever sung to God? It does sound a little strange, but believe me, it is magical. True magic! This kind of music is called worship.
You don’t need a great voice or even any instruments. If you don’t know any worship songs, go to YouTube and search, “Popular worship songs.” You will find some wonderful ones. Sing along, but in your heart, you are singing to God. If you find one you really like, sing it over and over. Let yourself relax into it. Close your eyes. Imagine the loving Shepherd of your soul right there with you. The beautiful presence of God is what we all need more than anything. And he wants you to come into his presence.
2. Prayer brings many people great comfort as they pour out their hearts to God, giving him their fears and problems. It helps them grow in faith as they trust God to help them.
3. Reading the Bible is a huge source of comfort. There are many amazing stories of God helping people who needed him. Reading about Jesus Christ can be very uplifting. The Bible is filled with many truths that also give people peace.
4. Giving thanks for all that you have and how God has helped you, loved you, saved you, and changed you can bring so much comfort.
5. Talking to others and hearing how God has comforted them can open the door for you to have that same experience or something similar.
A quick word about the rod and staff. These two words have been defined, discussed, and explained in a myriad of ways. So, I’m not going to go into all that. Except to say these were the shepherd’s tools to protect and guide the sheep. As the Good Shepherd, Jesus’s intention is always love and care — all the time. Those tools are the ways that he loves and cares for us.
As a person, who came from a very damaging past, my need for comfort has been immense. I know that addiction has never been far from my doorstep. I have tried to escape my pain in many ways. But it always came back. Or more accurately, it was always there. But when I began to experience the crazy amazing presence of God, I received comfort that reached every part of me in a profound way. I still had to do a lot of work to repair all the damage (still working on it). But the power and presence of God is what carried me through and also enabled me to heal and become who I was designed to be.
I want you to have that transcendent experience of being in the presence of God. Oh, how I want that for you! And God wants it, too! I know this is true because he told me this himself.
