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.

Small Stuff

When I was growing up, my Dad always told me he had two rules in life: Don't sweat the small stuff, and it's all small stuff. This made a lot of sense to me at the time, and I grew up not really ever worrying about anything. If it was something I could do something about, I did it. If not, I braced myself for whatever was about to happen.

Of course, even my Dad would tell you, the carefree life instantly dissolves when you add family into the mix. Particularly when you add children. You worry about what they're going to eat. You worry that they're always going to have a warm place to sleep. That they're getting along well in school. That they'll always be safe.

Worry is easy. But of course, Jesus was never a fan of taking the easy way.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? (Matthew 6:25-27)

He goes on, with reminders not to worry about what we'll eat, or drink, or wear. But instead, "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (v33)."

In other words: keep your eye on the Big Picture. Worry never made anything better. But Christ did more than simply give us the admonishment not to worry. He gave us a promise, too. That He, God, had it well in hand. As the Psalmist says, "Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken (Psalm 55:22)."

We aren't promised an easy life. Indeed, we're promised trouble in this world. But we're also reminded that Christ Himself has overcome this world (John 16:33). 

The point in all of this? Simply this: keep your eyes on Christ. I could go verse after verse after verse, but this is the message. Keep your eyes on Him. Focus on eternal things. The rest is small stuff. Don't sweat the small stuff.