I Shall Not Want

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want. (Psalm 23:1)

In the first verse of David's hymn, we learn of a Shepherd who supplies the needs of His sheep. "I shall not want." Or, in another version, "I lack nothing."

This first verse could be seen as an introduction to the rest of the psalm. In verses 2-6, David will tell us about many of the needs God is meeting. But it's also a more profound statement than that, because he isn't just saying, "my Shepherd will provide the following." He's saying, "I have everything I need."  And, to go further, the reason he has all he needs is that the Lord is his Shepherd.

Jesus touched on this very subject -- and in fact neatly paraphrased this first verse -- when He gave His sermon on the mount:

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)

It's easy -- and for many, tempting -- to turn this into a test of faith. To look at this verse and wonder why it doesn't seem as though our needs are being met. To wonder whether persecuted Christians throughout the world can take comfort in this Scripture. But they can! Much of this is about perspective.

Like the old song says, "Turn your eyes upon Jesus / look full in His wonderful face / and the things of earth will grow strangely dim / in the light of His Glory and Grace."

The things of this earth are temporary, where God is concerned with the eternal. They are finite where God is Infinite. In Psalm 23:1, we learn that when we follow the Shepherd, He will take care of our needs, leading us where He wants us to be. And what He has in store is so much better than what this world can offer.

Like all of Psalm 23, this is reminder to rest. To not worry. And, most importantly, to trust that your God has things well in hand.