I Shall Not Want

“The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.” –Psalm 23:1 (Read Psalm 23).

We could aptly read Psalm 23:1 as “Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I shall want for nothing!” Considering the psalm in the light of shepherd and sheep, as Phillip Keller so aptly presents it in his book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 (1970), he states: “No doubt the main concept is that of not lacking—not deficient—in proper care, management or husbandry. But a second emphasis is the idea of being utterly contented in the Good Shepherd’s care and consequently not craving or desiring anything more” (p. 26). This bold statement on David’s part, “I shall not want,” does not refer to material wealth and plenty. Rather, it shows total dependence on the Master and His ability to provide in every circumstance. It is about total reliance on the Shepherd who is able to “give life and give it more abundantly.”

Have you known Christians who by their lives and manner of living radiate serene confidence and quiet joy? As Paul the Apostle wrote, “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content” (Philippians 4:11). Paul wrote these words from prison. Yet he was making the best of his situation, and finding Christ all-sufficient. King David had enemies on every hand, yet he could say with all confidence, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.” To be under God’s care and to know it, assuredly, is to be completely satisfied with the Shepherd’s management of one’s life. Like the sheep under the care of a good and caring shepherd, we “go in an out and find pasture.” We rest in the provision God makes in every condition of life.

Is this to say we have no voice in what happens to us, no option but to blindly follow? Remember that God grants choice to each of us. We choose the high road or the low, the good pastures or the less verdant, to liken life to the places a shepherd leads his sheep. Our confidence is that the places the Good Shepherd leads are best for us. And because I accept and follow, I want nothing. Day and night, through joy and through sorrow, the eyes and the ears of the Good Shepherd are attentive to me, His sheep. “He will not suffer thy foot to be moved; He that keepeth thee will not slumber. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even forever more” –Psalm 121:3, 8. Therefore, because the Lord is my Shepherd, I shall want nothing. I rest in Him.

He keeps me safe and provides my needs. I am content with the Shepherd-sheep relationship. Praise be to God!

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Thursday, June 3, 2010