Psalm 23: 4-5
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.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Dr. Andy Stanley, a preacher we once heard via a cassette when missionaries, said to our family’s delight, “I don’t mind being dead. It’s the getting dead that I’m afraid of!” Most of us could agree that “getting dead” and enemies are near the top of our fears we don’t look forward to facing. Most people vote for a quiet death in their chair. We admire our soldiers, police, and firemen who face death for us regularly.
King David who was a soldier and who faced death many times is famous for killing Goliath when he was a youth. He led his men in battle. It was as he got older and did not go to war that he got himself in trouble with Bathsheba. So what was his secret. “For you are with me,” he writes. Even as a youth he recognized that it was God’s presence with him when he killed the lion and the bear attacking his flock. That realization strengthened him as he face Goliath. I note that faith does not mean we will not die or have enemies but it does mean we are not alone in those battles.
The shepherd/warriors we worked with carried “fimbos”. They were sticks made from taking a branch with a swollen joint at the end, smoothing it out and they learn how to throw it or hit with it accurately. A six foot cobra attacked our chickens one night. Our houseman came running with his stick and flailed on that snake, Similarly the staff was a long stick carried to lean on and tap the sheep on the rumps to get them moving in the right direction. It could also be used to poke into the holes in tall ant mounds where snakes crawled in looking for a morsel to eat. Rods and Staffs were excellent protective tools .
The psalm reminds us that not only are we not alone as we face our fears and those who are enemies but our unseen companion has tools for protecting us that we cannot see. Lord, help me to remember that you are present as I go to the doctor today and as others face their fears and foes. Thank you.
On the Way to Wonder 