The sheep is so deeply satisfied with the flock to which it belongs, with the ownership of this particular shepherd, that it has no wish to change whatever.

Just as God’s goodness and mercy flow to us all the days of our life, so goodness and mercy should follow us, should be left behind us as a legacy to others wherever we may go.

He is there with us in every storm.

Predators can still attack, poisonous weeds can still grow, storms and gales can still come swirling up over the peaks. Yet in His care and concern for us, Christ still ensures that we shall have some gladness with our sadness, some delightful days as well as dark days, some sunshine as well as shadow.

Just as the rod of God is emblematic of the Word of God, so the staff of God is symbolic of the Spirit of God.

The basic question is not whether we have many or few valleys. It is not whether those valleys are dark or merely dim with shadows. The question is how do I react to them?

A Christian either “goes on” with God or at which point he “goes back” from following on.

Often when we are most sure of ourselves we are the most prone to fall flat.

Many of the places we may be led into will appear to us as dark, deep, dangerous, and somewhat disagreeable. But it simply must be remembered that He is there with us in it.

It is significant that to be at rest there must be a definite sense of freedom from fear, tension, agitation, and hunger.

Contentment is not having what we want, but wanting what we have.