Comforted By A Big Stick

Bible Verse:
Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me. Ps 23:4

My thought for today is the things that bring you greatest comfort in order to help you get through difficult times are tell-tail signs of where you place your trust. David trusted in the fact that God walked with him during difficult times. He described that comfort in God’s rod and staff.

We no longer carry around walking sticks, so the concept of a rod and staff seem a little foreign to most. As a Boy Scout I found it important to have a staff when hiking in rough terrain. The staff helped me from trip and falling on jagged rocks and getting hurt. One of the first things I pulled out when we were ready to go hiking was my staff because I knew how handy it had become.

David knew the Lord as the One who kept him from falling, helped Him through difficult times. We see this in David’s battle with a 9 feet – 9 inch giant called Goliath. David knew that he could not defeat Goliath alone; it would only be by the grace of God that this obstacle in his life would not send him to his death.

As you take a good hard look at your own life, ask yourself where do you turn in times of stress and strain? If we turn to other people, to drink or drugs, to burying ourselves in our work, or hiding our feelings until we are about to burst then we do not understand the incredible power of god’s rod and staff.

We can find comfort in the most difficult of times. Illness, lost of a loved one, loss of a job, fear or anxiety should not cripple us. God wants to provide us with His peace. He wants to be our comfort, but this can only occur when we surrender to Him.

When we think we can make it through life on our own we are only digging a deeper, wider hole. God’s rod and staff can comfort us in the same way it did for David several thousand years ago. Learn to call upon the name of Jesus. Place your trust in His care and experience His peace even in the midst of extremely difficult times.

Where do you turn for comfort? Have you placed your trust in God or man? Does God’s rod and staff provide you comfort, if not why not? We do not need to be confused, in fear, anxious about what’s next. We can choose to let go and allow God to provide us with His peace. What are we waiting for, let’s do it!

Bob