To the sheep, the Good Shepherd is the source of all comfort. II Corinthians 1:3, 4 “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” The Good Shepherd has a great desire to comfort us at all times. It is up to us to receive it.
To be close to or walk closely with the Good Shepherd is to be comforted by Him. His rod and His staff comfort us (Psalms 23:4). The rod and staff are necessary tools or instruments in the hands of the Good Shepherd.
The rod symbolizes authority, power and the instrument used to deal with the enemy. When the bear or lion comes, the sheep closest to the shepherd will benefit the quickest from the rod being used by the shepherd to beat the enemy away. The sheep that have wondered away and are not following the shepherd closely will need to run to the shepherd for protection. The closer to the shepherd, the safer they are.
Like real sheep, we often tend to wander away and put more attention on other interesting things in life then on the Good Shepherd. Then when the lion of emergency roars at us we quick need to find the Good Shepherd and repent of our wandering away. It is much better to walk close to the Good Shepherd all the time. The lion is afraid of the Good Shepherd.
Let There Be Life 