Devotional for Wednesday, February 28, 2018
“Walking Through”
by Dona Hake
Psalm 23:4 (DARBY)
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.”
Today we will be meditating upon these truths…We are walking through whatever we face, and as we walk with Him, we walk through all things victoriously! Whether we speak to mountains, and bring them down or walk through valleys that would tempt our hearts to fear. We are going through and we do not need to fear for He promises to straighten the crooked paths, enlighten our hearts, and comfort us in our travels.
My friends, we are indeed walking through for are all of us are on unique assignments as we journey through life on this earth. We must determine in our hearts that no matter if the path is easy or hard, we are walking through hand in hand with our Lord.
When we look at the scripture in Psalms 23 the Psalmist addresses walking through the valley of the shadow of death. He emphasizes that he would fear no evil for he knew the Lord was with him. Along with the presence of the Lord, he also knew the comfort of the shepherd’s rod and staff. Being a shepherd himself, he well understood the uses of these two tools.
The rod of the shepherd symbolizes something very beautiful for us. One of the uses for a shepherd’s rod was to examine and count the sheep. Many times when we walk through difficult things we may come to grips with the reality of what is really important. It may seem that our eyes are open and seeing what we did not see before, and God is able to touch our heart, and examine it in a way He was not able before. It is at that time we are experiencing the gentle hand of our Lord tenderly helping our souls to take courage and heal. Or we may feel his gentle tug by His Spirit as He begins to deal with a particular area of our life. As we permit Him to deal with our heart, He can speak, instruct, and many times discipline us in that which we may need help or change.
Psalm 139:23–24 Amplified Version “Search me thoroughly, oh God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.“
The staff is symbolic of His loving and watchful care over our life. He is so concerned about us, and He sees our every need. The staff is used to guide sheep that they would stay on the right path. We know that God’s Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. As we permit Him to lead us with His rod and staff we will walk through the valleys as well as walk on the mountain tops with Him. Praise God for our loving Shepherd!