“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.” Psalm 23:5 (ESV)
Most of the time our daily lives are hectic and stressful simply because we are alive. We can deal with those day to day issues with no problem, but there are events that fall in on us. Our emotions become overloaded and simply crash…just like our computers sometimes fail. And when this happens we are then forced to call on technical help. The ‘techs’ are the professionals, the computer ‘geeks’ who live their lives in some tiny cubicle solving computer glitches around the cosmos.
But for us, there is a better idea. His Name is God and He does not live in some unknown cubicle waiting for a telephone call from someone who has an unexpected event that overloads emotions. But what you must not do is begin with your emotions, with yourself. Begin with God….. begin with your problems and the problems remain. Begin with God and He will remove the stress and help you solve the problems. They may still exist, but the pressures will not be as extreme….He will deal with issues of the problem, expose them and help you solve them.
Read Exodus 6:1-13 and discover how God helped Moses solve a very difficult problem. The problem was not removed immediately, but God helped Moses to solve the problem. The problem was not Moses’ emotions, it was far larger than him, but Moses went to the One who is able….
“But the Lord said to Moses, ‘Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.’ God spoke to Moses and said to him, ‘I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.’ Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery. The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the people of Israel go out of his land.’ But Moses said to the Lord, ‘Behold, the people of Israel have not listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?’ But the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them a charge about the people of Israel and about Pharaoh king of Egypt: to bring the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt.” (ESV)
These are but a few verses of Scripture that give direction for conquering fear in daily living…..Use them and search your Bible for more. Your most difficult problem will the application of God’s Word. But remember this…You cannot do this alone. You must submit your desire to Him and then His desire becomes your desire and reality.
“…your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Throughout scripture, the "staff" is a symbol of authority and power. Commanders, rulers, kings had a staff or rod symbolizing their power. When David challenged Goliath, he did so with 5 smooth stones and his staff. I Sam 17:40.
Elisha regarded his staff as powerful enough to deliver a child from death. II Kings 4:29.
Where God delivers, the power of the enemy is broken, symbolized repeatedly by the enemy's broken staff. Jeremiah 48:17, II Kings 18:21, Ezekiel 29:6, Isaiah 14:5.
The "rod of God" is pictured throughout scripture as the power and authority of God to judge and discipline the nations (ob 9:32, 21:9, Lamentations 3:1, Micah 6:9.
Jesus was given a staff before His crucifixion symbolizing his power and authority, and then they took it from him and beat him with it, symbolizing that his rod was powerless. Matthew 27:29.
And the crucifixion of Christ became the power of God for our salvation. "He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him." Colossians 2:15.
Remember, Extreme Conditions call for Extreme Measures and His Name is God…..
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