R + S = C

3/1/09 23rd Psalm Revisited
Journal jottings: Steeped my tea, while looking at my backyard steeped in snow, opening my Bible to again "steep" in God's word from Psalm 23....while contemplating whether to have homemade sourdough bread from one of my dancers or homemade banana bread from a MS friend.
Wouldn’t we feel blessed if those were the hardest choices we had to make in life? But I, my friends, can tell you that God’s children are blessed, even in the places of deep difficulty---“independent of all circumstances.” (Jesus Calling)

Streams in Desert 3/1 says, “Your situation is filled with uncertainty and is very serious, but it is perfectly right…..for it is a platform from which God will display His almighty grace and power. He will not only deliver you….(He) will impart a lesson that you will never forget.”-----which brings me back to my "steeping" of Psalm 23.

Verse 4 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.

As a teenager I spent many days traipsing back and forth between my house on Virginia Street and the Fairleigh’s house on Alumini Avenue. The quickest, and in those days, safe, path was the alley. Winslow and I knew it by heart b/c most days found us together at one house or the other. But at night it was pitch black and though we pretty much knew the way like the back of our hand, we much preferred to travel it together. Some nights we would leave from my back porch, cross the yard cut through behind the garage, where our baby blue Valiant was housed, just past the vacated house of John Tom, Clara Lee and Hattie May, on the old Albritton place, and scoot down the alley to Alumni where there was a street light ---though dim by today’s standards. Then we’d race to her 1962 turquoise Corvair (w/ tab shift, trunk in the front & motor in the back) and she’d drive me around the corner to my front door---Virginia Street was well lit. You see, light dispels darkness.

Death, even the “shadow of death,” and fear can be synonymous with darkness. And darkness can be overwhelming without “protection.” Winslow and I had each other---silly as that sounds---and that made all the difference. Today, the Lord understood that my MAC fear, not only of the endurance of pain, but the fear of the unknown, would begin to creep in as I neared the time of the Dallas departure----so, He’s had me in this psalm for three days now. He also had “no-fear” verses written on my Dotsy quilt and a "fear" entry today in Edges of His Ways.

The verse doesn’t stop with, I will fear no evil---that would make fearlessness possible by my own “human” effort & trust me, it’s not possible for me to conjure it up. The next phrase, "for Thou art with me,” tells us why we don’t have to fear---the Lord God, our shepherd is with us.
And He comes prepared, just as the hillside shepherds of old. He’s equipped with a rod and a staff.
Insights from Meeting God in Quiet Places---more like my loose paraphrasing:

Rod—protection from enemies---gives feeling of assurance---but if God offered protection without the care and concern of friendship (staff) it would be stern & cold

Staff –for peaceful walking and guiding---friendship, like an old walking stick but if it didn’t go hand in hand with strength and protection (rod) it would be soppy, sentimental, and without power.

The result of the two together is comfort. (Thy) Rod and (Thy) Staff = (my) Comfort(R+S = C)