Comfort Me

Psalm 23:4 ‘Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.’

Two questions: What does this verse mean, and What does it mean to me?

Half of becoming a Christ-follower is hearing the Word; the other is understanding it. I know that sometimes philosophy and big-thinking is hard, but stick with me.

My first question was, What does this verse mean?

It’s metaphorically easy. It means God is there, always and forever, watching you, listening to you, and holding you. It means that even in your darkest moments, God is there, with you, beside you.

The ‘ Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.’ is a little part in it’s own. It repeats many times in the Bible that God’s ‘rod’ is something he carries with him; he uses it to punish the unfaithful and to protect the godly. He uses his staff not as a walking stick (Thanks, Gandalf) but as a sign of divine authority and leadership. It means that God is not only sweeping those of evil out of your path, but it means he is holding you steady with his sovereignty.

The second question: ‘What does it mean to me?’

I think this is the more important question.

Take this as an example: I just wrote a 10-page essay on the French Revolution (1789-1794) and what did it mean to me? Not much. I mean, history is very, very important, but I don’t live in France, and it’s in the past. It does not affect me now. Therefore, even though I learned so much, I didn’t take it into character as I should have.

I will caution you against that when learning about the Bible. This is the word of God, written by over 40 authors over 1500 years. It is not mere history. It is everything. Learn from it, take it into account.

Know that when God says He will protect you even in the darkest of times, He will. God never told a prophecy and had it not come through. His promises are not like one from another human. You look at the creator of the universe, and you do not think His promises will cheap out on you. It’s just not in human capacity. Deep down, you know I’m right.

So, take a moment to reflect. What does this verse mean to you? In your situation right now, tell me, what is it that makes you keep going? Feel free to share your thoughts in a comment below, and if you’re not comfortable sharing that, know that I totally understand.

Here are my answers:

• This verse means (to me) that even when I sit in my room and cry, feeling alone, I am not. It means that even when I am feeling hopeless and left in the dust, I am picked up, grasping onto the Gos’s staff and holding on. This is why I don’t stop. Because with every splinter, I know that even though it hurts, he is right there, keeping the staff upright.

Stay faithful,

-Claudia