Can there be Hope in Tragedy - Part II

“Your rod and Your staff protect and comfort me.” Psalm 23:4b (NLT) 

Yesterday we saw that when an unexplainable tragedy occurs, it forces us to decide if we will continue to trust the heart of God, or if we will take life into our own hands and decide we know better. This choice determines the trajectory of our life, so it is not to be taken lightly. This choice may not come without blood, sweat, and tears as we wrestle with the Almighty begging Him for clarity which we may never see. Yet, it is a battle worth fighting.

Psalm 23:4b tells us that His rod and His staff protect and comfort us. A shepherd would have beenequipped with both at all times. The rod was used to count the sheep and to protect them from wild animals. The shepherd protects his sheep! (This is just a suggestion…the other sentence is not incorrect.)

Interestingly enough, the staff was only used if you were a shepherd. The staff would not work for any other animal- it was the trademark tool for the shepherd. It was used to redirect the sheep if needed, but mostly it kept the sheep close to the shepherd and saved the sheep if they got in a difficult position. This was particularly true if they ran away from the shepherd.

Isn’t it fascinating that God wanted these two tools in the Psalm we recognize the most for comfort and care? He wants us to know that He is the Great Shepherd, and He will protect us, redirect us, keep us close to Him, and bring us back to Him if we should go astray. His heart is for us, to love us, and His desire is to walk with us all the days of our lives. Psalm 23:6 states it this way, “Surely Your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life.” There are no guarantees in this life, and I am sure by now you have noticed that tragedies and unthinkable pain happen to both those who walk with Jesus and those who do not. The difference is whether we choose to trust the heart of the Shepherd all the while knowing that this world is not our home; this pain will not last forever because we will “live in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:6b) There is more to this life than meets the eye. 

We can trust Him because He went through the unthinkable so that we would not ever have to walk alone.