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 NIV
The Context:
This psalm is credited to David, and his occupation reflects on the contents of the psalm. Daivd had been a shepherd up until and even after he was anointed king by Samuel. He learnt a lot from keeping sheep, and it is not a wonder that his greatest lessons about God were learnt alone with the sheep. Do I see my job as an opportunity to know more about God and to also make God known? Do I see my job as a place where God can meet with me to teach me about Himself? Or to make it even more appropriate, is my present pursuit one that God can come and meet me in? Can I invite God into my workplace, knowing what I do and how I do it glorifies Him?
One more lesson: the fact that David was anointed as king didn't keep him from danger; in fact, he learnt more about God through pain than pleasure. Today's Christians 'reject' tough times in Jesus' name, forgetting that when you surrender control to another Master, you are subject to His leading, direction and command. The life you live is no longer yours to command as you please, but it is His to direct, even if it is through a storm. For David here, the path of his lesson passed through the valley of the shadow of death. For Daniel, it was the lions' den. For Stephen, it was martyrdom. What would your path be? What would mine be? Would I embrace all that God permits, or do I have a clear choice of my own destiny?
The Message:
For David, his path of God's perfect will lay through trouble. However, like Joseph, there was something he had, and which anyone who will survive that which is coming must have: the Presence of God. Joseph passed through the Pit, followed by slavery in Potiphar's house, followed by Prison, before he ended up in the palace of Pharaoh, but there is an expression that followed Joseph everywhere he went: 'And the Lord was with Joseph'. It does not matter what your present experiences are; you will only survive when God is with you. David is called a man after God's heart, not because he was perfect, but because his heart sought after God first and foremost. How's your heart? How's mine?
David could look forward to whatever was coming, because he knew who was with him. Whether it was the highs from defeating Goliath, the lion and the bear, or the lows from his experience with Bathsheba, David's heart sought after God. When he was confronted with the evil he did, he did not argue; he owned up. Can God convict my heart this easily? And this may explain the rod and the staff. With God as my shepherd, which is the theme of this psalm, God will not leave me to my own devices. He has responsibility for me, and He takes his job seriously. I am yet to find a man in God's care who got lost. It does not happen. You will have to stay out of the sheepfold and keep getting lost over and over again for you to be truly lost, and until physical death comes, it is not too late to return.
As I pass under his staff and rod, he keeps me out of danger; He counts me as His own; takes responsibility for me; guides my steps through the rocky and rough plains so I do not stumble. Even when I make mistakes, or wander off, His love for me does not permit Him to kill me, but He goes out of His way to look for me so I can return to His fold. This is a Shepherd who gave His life for the sheep and will do anything within His power to preserve the sheep. And his discipline, guidance, leadership and protection are all for my good, so I can get home safely. What kind of shepherd would God be if He could not protect the sheep in His care? What is the use of a shepherd if he has no sheep to take care of?
The Response:
I know now who this God is, but does He know me? I have read now who He is and what He can do, but it is not enough. I have a decision to make, and it has to do with my allegiance and surrender. The confidence that flows through the words of today's extract came from who David knew. It was not about what he had read in a book, but about who he had met as a person. These days, there are many books written about God but it is not enough to just read; I must seek a personal experience of this God.
Read the book, then get to know the God of the book. Don't dare confront the world without the personal knowledge of God; the world can tear a man to pieces and move on to the next prey. Don't dare confront the world's system on your own; this system has been in place longer than anyone alive on earth now, so the Wisdom, power and guidance to overcome the world can only come from the One who has defeated the world. In and by Him alone am I safe from the world's shenanigans. Do you know Him? Does He know me? His time of favour is here.
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