Salvation from anxiety and depression in "Thy rod and Thy staff..."
Believers, consider Psalm 94:19 - "In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul."
See the Good News Translation: "Whenever my busy thoughts were out of control, the soothing comfort of Your presence calmed me down and overwhelmed me with delight."
Consider Christ's "comfort" above.
This verse is from a Psalm of David. And how busy our thoughts get sometimes to the point that they seem to stifle us. But how does this "COMFORT" come about for us when we are beset with worries and anxieties that lead to depression (See Proverbs 12:25- "Anxiety leads to depression, but a good word encourages.")? We find this in another Psalm of David, the popular Psalm 23:
"4 Yea, 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."
How we are comforted in Christ is expressed in the relationship between a real life shepherd and his sheep. It is no coincidence that Psalm 23 is so famous. Christ did not call us His sheep and He our Shepherd just to fill up space in His word. He did so for us to see how hopelessly helpless we His sheep would be without Him, just as real life sheep are without a shepherd. We who believe in Him are utterly dependent on Him just as regular domestic sheep are utterly dependent on their shepherd for care. In Him, we are wonderfully loved, protected and provided for.
Have you seen the impossible situations that sheep get themselves into? That's one in the video above. Here's the link:
How on earth did it get there? Man is no different. As it did Petercwho thought he could never deny Christ, as it did Judas Judas plodded on in his own strength to make things right after he committed a similar sin of betraying Jesus, the arm of flesh (human effort at being good like God aka godly) will fail. That sheep will be stuck in that swing until it gets help from its shepherd. Notice how the other sheep (church members) just stand around doing nothing? After a while, they might even get used to the suffering sheep, stop being concerned, leave it there alone come bedtime and return in the morning to find its innards splattered all over the place courtesy of devourers. Never look to man for help or direction. He has none to give. Look to Christ the Good Shepherd. He saves us every time.
Christ is not in the business of abandoning His sheep that mess themselves up or get themselves into impossible situations to the vices of wild animals aka Satan the devourer. Ever wondered why His mercies are new every morning? It is because everyday, we fail.
Christ said - "For without me you can do nothing." King David, a former shepherd himself, understood that a sheep is totally dependent on its shepherd for its very existence and for it to thrive. So what does "Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me" mean for Christ's sheep?
The rod of a shepherd is used for defending and protecting the sheep from predators and robbers. It is a weapon or tool to provide safety for the flock: Christ our Shepherd and His promise of protection for His sheep in all of Psalms 91.
The staff is a slender stick with a hook or crook at one end, somewhat like those umbrella sticks with curved handles. It is used to hold the sheep during shearing, for gentle correction or re-directing when a sheep is going astray and to guide the sheep as they are moving along, because sheep tend to wander off. They often think that the pasture is greener somewhere else, and they start to wander away!
The staff is also used in drawing sheep together into an intimate relationship with the Shepherd. It is very useful because the shy and timid sheep normally tend to keep at a distance from the shepherd; aka all of those times when we just don't feel like praying or spending time the Word, He draws us near with His staff.
Believers, by God's Grace, study more on the ways of Israelite shepherds of old with their sheep to get a revelation of Christ's love for us and how helpless we would be without Him. He lifts us out of the "stuck" position of our fearful thoughts and anxieties that lead to depression. Bear in mind what Christ said in John 10:11-
“I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep."
The Parable of the Lost Sheep shows us that the Lord our Shepherd is not in the business of disflocking, beating or abandoning His sheep that misbehave or leaving us to the devices of the devourer. His eyes never leave us. His rod and His staff they comfort us. Covered on every side! The Lord protects us His sheep and keeps us from going astray. That's Christ's work according to Titus 2:14-
"He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds."
By God's Grace, don't let any "pastor" foist on you the responsibility of doing Christ's work by yourself. The arm of flesh (human effort at achieving good/godliness) will fail as it did Adam and Eve in Eden. Only when our trust is utterly in Christ our Shepherd are we protected and productive. Beware of those who preach Christ as a Shepherd who will not save His own sheep that fell into a pit unless it first fasts, sows seed and bleats itself dry while starving for 70 days.
Our heavenly Father corrects us and His correction is for our profit, that we might live, that we might be partakers of HIS holiness (we have and can generate none of ours) and to make us live a righteous life- all of this according to Hebrews 12; His correction is never harmful and never with any of the things that He gave His own Son to save us from. EVEN OUR GIVING (shearing of the sheep) is ordered by the Lord. Giving/tithing takes Christ's revelation, so ask Him. In Christ, there is no escaping His goodness and mercy. Believers, our Lord and our God Jesus Christ wants nothing more than for you to be His sheep and He your Shepherd.
There is comfort in knowing that as Christ's sheep, we have His rod and His staff to comfort us ALWAYS, even when all seems to be going downhill and it looks like the lion already has us in its mouth. He saves us always. Remember what David said to Saul as Saul tried to dissuade him from facing Goliath in 1 Samuel 17: 34-37:
"34....David said, “I take care of my father's sheep. Any time a lion or a bear carries off a lamb, 35 I go after it, attack it, and rescue the lamb. And if the lion or bear turns on me, I grab it by the throat and beat it to death."
36 I have killed lions and bears, and I will do the same to this heathen Philistine, who has defied the army of the living God. 37 The Lord has saved me from lions and bears; He will save me from this Philistine.”
Just imagine what was going on in the mind of the lamb that David saved while it was in the mouth of the lion or bear: a racing heart, acute fear and anxiety like many of us deal with today as we get carried off by lions and bears of bills to pay, poor (health) prognoses, work targets, kids' homework, the safety of our loved ones, acts of sin and addictions that we struggle with, imperfections and what other people think of us! The lamb can do nothing to save itself. David here is a picture of Christ. One with Him and not cut off by trying to make ourselves right with God by doing what the law commands, He says to us:
“I take care of my father's sheep. Any time a lion or a bear carries off a lamb, 35 I go after it, attack it, and rescue the lamb. And if the lion or bear turns on me, I grab it by the throat and beat it to death."
The lamb cannot rescue itself from the mouth of the lion. Only Christ can rescue you from all your anxieties that cause depression and their causes. By grace believe, "for He who promised is faithful." Hebrews 10:23.
Also consider verse 36-37 of 1 Samuel 17- “I have killed lions and bears, and I will do the same to this heathen Philistine, who has defied the army of the living God. 37 The Lord has saved me from lions and bears; He will save me from this Philistine.”
The "Philistine" here represents anything that puts terror in you or causes you to worry (e.g. unemployment, disease, stupid and costly mistakes, argument with your spouse, kids' homework, etc,) just as Goliath and his crew put terror in the hearts of the Israelites with his massive size and constant reproach. Jesus Christ "the same yesterday, today and forever" will save you from all that strikes terror in you.
Believer, know that no matter the turmoil that is going on in your heart right now, no matter the multitude of worries and anxieties that beset you because it seems like life's problems are carrying you away, like a shepherd with its sheep that gets in trouble, even troubles of its own making, Jesus Christ The Good Shepherd will never condemn you, leave you to get yourself out of the pit or ask you to go and sow seed or fast before He rescues you. He will save you. In Him, we don't GIVE TO GET; we GET TO GIVE.
That barter arrangement of "play your part or else God will not bless you" is how to get cut off from Christ. Our part is to believe Jesus Christ and even this we do by Grace (John 6:44.) Right believing always produces right living. His salvation (from everything we need saving from- worry, anxiety, acts of sin, lack, fear, disease, depression, accidents, oppression, silly mistakes, stress, whatever) is not a reward for the good things we have done: Ephesians 2:
"8 For it was only through this wonderful grace that we believed in Him. Nothing we did could ever earn this salvation, for it was the gracious gift from God that brought us to Christ! 9 So no one will ever be able to boast, for salvation is never a reward for good works or human striving."
"Salvation" here is not just being saved to go to heaven; it is also deliverance from the molestation of enemies and redemption from all earthly ills. It is being saved from the power, pleasure and penalty of sin! The word used in the original Greek text of the New Testament is Swthria (pronounced soteria) and it encompasses all these meanings.
Live life loved by the Lord our Shepherd. He leads us on the path of righteousness. He keeps us from going astray. He sets us on our feet when we fall. Our own human effort (arm of flesh) at doing right in order to be righteous before God (walking in the flesh) only leads to death. But Christ, He is life. His rod and His staff they comfort us.
The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.
Believe Right and you will Live Right.
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