He Comforts

Anyone who knows me or is remotely close to me knows I am a Daddy’s girl through and through. Though both my parents were loving and committed, it was Dad we asked for or turned to when we were sick, frightened or distressed. He had an innate way of comfort about him. Between mom and dad, they covered the parental bases pretty well, but Mom would even say that Dad was the spoiler and she was the disciplinarian. Dad was a person of few words, but his reassuring presence and hugs made us feel protected and secure. Dad passed this on to my two children as well and like me they thrived under his care.

The qualities of fatherhood that my dad possessed were handed down to him from his own father, our grandfather who we called Papaw. Both were men of God and soft spoken, but when they did speak it was weighty. Dad was his first born and even my cousins (and there were a lot of cousins) would say “Uncle Edison was a lot like Papaw.” Both men were self-disciplined and had high standards of  personal conduct. The mere phrase of “I’m disappointed in you” from either of them could cut me to the quick. 

Papaw was a fastidious dresser, well groomed and I can still remember the smell of his quiet clean aftershave. Just like my Dad, Papaw was the comforter. He wasn’t big on fussin and fidget, but if you would allow him to embrace you, his sense of calm and comfort could overtake you and make the world a better place. I took some great snoozes in that white leather chair in the corner in his lap. Both of these two men would leave an indelible imprint on my life on what fatherhood can provide in the life of a child. Their legacy is still with me. Though both are gone now, the comfort they left behind did not depart with them. 

The Psalmist, David, son of Jesse and brother to many, had a family legacy as well. No doubt imperfect, but known as a stable household. David was the youngest of 8 and what a surprise when the prophet Samuel came to their town of Bethlehem. Samuel invited them to a sacrifice, to anoint a new king of Israel(1 Sam 16). Passing over all the brothers gathered at the table, Samuel asked if “there were anymore sons?” “Only David” Jesse said, and “he is down tending the sheep.” The outcome of that visit from Samuel resulted in the youngest son, David, being anointed as King of Israel. I wonder that after recovering from the shock of the events what words of comfort David’s  father, Jesse, might have imparted? We know from scripture from that day forward the Lord’s spirit began to work in David. What a comfort God must have been in those youthful inexperienced days to assure and prepare David for the life that lay ahead. 

In the 23rd psalm, David makes reference to some of the days of preparation and assurance when He refers to the rod and staff. After David declares that “Even though I walk through the valley of the Shadow of death, I will fear no evil because you are with me. Your rod and staff comfort me.” The rod is in reference to the tool the shepherd uses to discipline the sheep. The shepherd doesn’t beat the sheep, but uses the rod to bump or nudge the sheep in the right direction, keeping them with the herd and on the path. 

Sheep are not the brightest mammal on the planet and retention of instruction would be a challenge for even the most savvy shepherd. Thus, the rod was  a necessary component in daily life discipline for the flock. For a shepherd boy to become a king, it is not hard to see that it would take some structured training and discipline to prepare David for such a calling. It’s hard to imagine that a young boy wouldn’t have some difficult days ahead, enduring and embracing some of the discipline required to perform the duties of a monarch. Yet, David declares the rod was a comfort, especially while traveling through dangerous valleys where death loomed so close. 

Perhaps some of the discipline David had received from God helped him to reign in his fear and keep his eyes on the road ahead and off the danger lurking along the way. We know David wrote that He knew God was with him in these places. It takes a committed disciplined mind to focus on God’s protection and comfort and to still our souls to receive it. The scriptures record ‘Be still and know that I am God. If ever you have tried to be still, I mean spiritually still, it is a challenge to not be distracted or have your mind wander. It takes discipline. In the culture that we currently live in comfort and discipline are about as distant concepts from each other as the east is from the west. 

Comfort is soft—it’s a high thread count and low demand institution that  is designed to cater to our desires, indulge our whims and aid us in achieving that status of  ultimate relaxation. Discipline on the other hand, carries the reputation of structure, compliance, and paints the picture of readiness and alertness. However, David, from experience relates to us the rod is a comfort. This is foreign to my thinking. Talk about counter culture!

David also makes a reference to the staff. Every shepherd picture most of us have ever seen has the shepherd holding his staff. Every church or school play I have seen or was involved in provided staffs for the shepherds. Everyone knew angels got their wings, but the shepherds received their staffs! They were ideal for bumping neighbors in other rows or pulling wings off angels. They were the annoyance of reach and grab that every choir director has had to conquer. A shepherd’s staff is designed to rescue and return the sheep to the flock. It’s the

“reach and grab a hold of you” tool that the shepherd uses on one sheep. Just One! It’s personal and motivated by the caring concern the shepherd has for his sheep. In David’s writings, we know he wrestled and killed lions and bears. He knew the dangers of a lone sheep wandering away. David pens that the staff was a comfort. This is a word picture David uses to convey that even though he faces evil in dark valleys, he is comforted by the ability of God, the Good Shepherd to reach or rescue him. What an assurance for me that even if I wander away like  a dumb undisciplined sheep, God can reach out and grab hold of me and pull me back to safety.

As I approach Father’s day, it is a reflective time for me to enjoy sweet memories of comforting words and touches from loving fathers and grandfathers. It’s a time to give thanks for the self discipline instilled in me by this force of men who committed themselves to God and their families. Both of them carried symbolic rods and staffs that I wasn’t cognizant of until I faced dark valleys. It was then that I realized it was God working through Papaw and Dad. Both their comfort and their discipline helped equip me to walk through this life God has blessed me with and has called me to. It has been the Good Shepherd, Jesus and the Holy Spirit , the Comforter who has been my constant guide and comfort in all the valleys, mountains and plains. It is the rescue of God that keeps me safe. It is His comfort that dries my tears and stills my fearful heart over current problems and  an uncertain future. If ever I needed to reflect on God’s fatherhood, and the tools he uses to care for me, its in the times in which I live now.