Gave me comfort, sounds like a lot of us are needing that lately. <BR>------------------------<BR><B>"...Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me" Psalm 23.4</B><P> Can you imagine a shepherd without his staff? I can’t. It’s not only part of the shepherd’s uniform so to speak, but it is also a part of his identity. The Shepherd’s staff speaks of two of the duties of the shepherd – Rescue, Guidance and Protection of the flock. <P> The staff may have been for some poor shepherds not much more than a branch <BR>from a tree trimmed and shaped with a crude knife. But it was often a work of craftsmanship itself. Usually, it had the traditional loop or hook at the top. This loop was not merely ornamental. It was frequently used to rescue a sheep who had fallen into a ravine beyond the reach of the shepherd. He could reach down with the staff and hook it around the sheep and pull him to safety. A famous Good Shepherd picture shows Christ reaching down with his staff to pull up a lost sheep.<P> The shepherd tried not to lose any sheep. If the shepherd did not own the<BR>flock and if he lost a sheep, he would have to pay for the sheep out of his own pocket. Like the Good Shepherd, Jesus was not willing that any should be lost and He was more than willing to pay the price that all should be found. The staff of rescue <BR>is certainly the Christian’s first experience with the Good Shepherds staff.<P> The second use for the staff was for guidance. If you want to move a flock of sheep from one location to another you want to keep them all together and you want <BR>them to go in the direction you have directed them to go. And most sheep, once headed in the right direction will follow along with the rest of the flock. However, you will have a few stragglers and a few which will wander off in the wrong direction. <P>Here is where the staff of Guidance comes into use. The shepherd simply reaches out <BR>with the staff and either pulls the sheep back or lays the staff along the side of the <BR>sheep to guide him in the right direction. The guidance is gentle but firm. The <BR>Shepherd would never beat the sheep with the staff, but he would firmly hold the rebellious sheep on the right course until he would go that way on his own.<P> So, like that Good Shepherd is our Lord. He guides our pathways and when we drift away, he gently pulls us back. Sometimes, like the shepherd, the Lord simply removes any other options than going in the right direction. Maybe you have been on ten job interviews and got 10 rejections. You may think that the Lord has deserted you, but maybe he is simply guiding you to the Eleventh interview which will be your dream job.<P> Finally, the staff is used to protect the sheep. The shepherd is gentle with the sheep, but he is fierce against the enemies of the sheep. He will step out and protect them against the predators. The staff is heavy and the shepherd practices with it to be able to beat off the wild animals who would kill the sheep.<P> The Lord is our protector. He stands before us, behind us, and around us to protect us from anything the enemy of our souls would throw our way. The only way we don’t have that protection is when we run away from the Good Shepherd’s flock (and <BR>when you do that he comes after you anyway). The rod which rescued us from the abyss. <P>The rod which guided us in the paths of righteousness. That same rod now becomes a <BR>weapon in the hands of the one who will stand guard over our souls. Considering all that the rod and staff were in the hands of the shepherd, it is no wonder that David, a shepherd boy who became king would say, “Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” And today nearly 3000 years later, they still do.<P> <B>Lord, keep your rod close by me guide me, correct me and protect me today. <P>Amen</B>