Breathe deeply and relax

"Your rod and your staff comfort me." Psalm 23.4

The stick, a stick whose top was curved, was sometimes used by the shepherd to control or punish the sheep. But that's not the way God acts with us. God does not wait from the sky with a big stick to beat people who do not obey him !

God protects you, guides you, supports you, makes you live, defends you, and provides for your needs.

Paul told Timothy that scripture was given to correct us. There were times when the Word was preached to me, and it corrected me greatly.

The shepherd's crook was most often used for the protection of ewes. In other words, the rod was a defense. The psalmist said : "I am reassured, Lord, because in your arms I am safe. You are my protector."

What about the stick ? The staff was the symbol of the authority of the shepherd to take care of the flock. It was also used as a cane to support the shepherd. The shepherd's crook and staff serve to support you, protect you and provide you with comfort.

The Hebrew word for comfort, well-being, consolation, in Psalm 23, is nacham, one of whose meanings is breath, breath. The psalmist says : "Oh ! God, you protect me. You provide for my needs. So I can breathe deeply and relax."

A practice for today

Breathe deeply at this moment knowing that God protects you, guides you, supports you, makes you live, defends you, and provides for your needs.

Keith Butler

Source (The Thought of the Day)