"Even though I walk through the
darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your
staff, they comfort me." (Psalms 23:4, NIV2)
David sure knew what he was talking about. After all,
hadn’t he been pursued by Saul and later by his own son, Absalom? They had his
destruction in mind, but their plans were foiled. God had indeed miraculously
protected David from any harm.
On September 23, somewhere in the country of South
Africa, a 15 year-old found herself in a very distressing moment. How would we
have reacted if three robbers show up while we are dining in a nice restaurant
and for unknown reasons, began firing indiscriminately?
That 15 year-old, although completely terrified, was
left unharmed, thanks to her dad who immediately came to her rescue. He dragged
her on the floor, and then he shielded her from those flying menaces with his
own body.
Although she left the scene unharmed, her dad was
shot, and he died shortly afterwards. He was literally his daughter’s hero. Even
though his daughter had walked through the darkest valley possible, her dad had
been with her and he had shielded her from any bodily harm.
When facing adversity, may we remember this powerful
act of heroism, as we too are assured that when walking through any menacing
valley, God, too, is with us. We have nothing to fear. Why worry when our
Heavenly Father is on our side!
Interestingly David mentions that God’s rod and staff
comforts him. In our day and age we may have forgotten about these two utensils.
Now we rely more on the GPS and Facebook (Especially those who call themselves
the younger species of humankind). However they were quite meaningful to David,
the shepherd boy.
The rod was used for punishment, to keep the sheep in
line. "I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will
punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands."
(2 Samuel 7:14, NIV2) However, we also need to remind ourselves that "My love
will never be taken away from him . . ." (2 Samuel 7:15, NIV2) When God corrects
us, it is to keep us on the right track and avoid the pitfalls of temptation. No
wonder that the rod comforted David, for it was, after all, his Heavenly Dad
protecting him from himself. We sure can be our own worst enemies at times!
The staff, on the other hand, is a sign of authority
(See Gen 49:10) and no one has greater authority that God Himself! And He is the
One who assures us that He is with us, with you, with me! We truly have nothing
to fear. He is willing to take the bullet for us, just as He did on Golgotha.
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.