Shepherd of Her Soul: A 7-Day Plan From Psalm 23નમૂનો

Your Shepherd Protects You with His Love

In a world full of uncertainty and fear, we long to feel safe. We want to know we're secure. We yearn for a protector who is good, wise, and kind.

When the Psalmist says the Shepherd's rod and staff comfort him, this kind of deep safety is what he's describing.

The shepherd’s rod and staff have two different purposes. The rod provides protection from external threats.

W. Phillip Keller, author of A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, says, “The shepherd’s rod is an instrument of protection both for himself and his sheep when they are in danger. It is used both as a defense and a deterrent against anything that would attack.”

The shepherd’s staff provides protection from internal threats. Sheep are likely to get themselves into trouble, and so are we.

Keller explains, “Being stubborn creatures, sheep often get into the most ridiculous and preposterous dilemmas. I have seen my own sheep, greedy for one more mouthful of green grass, climb down steep cliffs where they slipped and fell into the sea. Only my long shepherd’s staff could lift them out of the water back onto solid ground again.”

The rod and staff are used not for punishment but for protection. The heart of the Good Shepherd is always to rescue us and draw us closer to him, the only place where we can truly feel safe in an unsafe world.

Our Good Shepherd is with us. He will protect us with his rod, pursue us with his staff, and give us the security our souls need.

Good Shepherd, you are my protector and true security. Thank you for all the ways you defend and rescue me. Amen.

How has God protected or rescued you?