I shall not want

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"I shall not want" By Diane Webb

Psalms 23: 1 "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want".

"I shall not want" for necessities because my shepherd is the Lord. This is what the psalmist is declaring in verse one of the 23^rd Psalms. The Lord will provide. The image of a shepherd and his sheep is calm and peaceful--of clouds, green grass, and a soft breeze. There is safety and security in this scene as well--rolling hills of green dotted with the white, gray, brown, and black of sheep. The shepherd stands watch to ensure no danger comes near. The shepherd moves the sheep to greener pastures when needed. The shepherd alerts the sheep to danger and intervenes to protect them. He provides all the necessities for the sheep—food, shelter, and water (they don't need clothes). "The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want" for anything is another way to read the passage. Having a feeling of want is like having a hole that never fills. The want keeps gnawing inside prompting a constant searching for something—but not knowing what it is. This gnawing is familiar to most of us at one time in our lives. We've all experienced that feeling of missing something—of not being quite complete on the inside. We think we know what we want but when we get it we realize it really did not satisfy us like we thought it would. "The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want" anything else is a third way to look at this verse. It points to contentment--being happy with what you have and not yearning for more and more things. It is the decision to stop the search. You buy a new watch and that "want" is satisfied for a week or two (sometimes only a day or two). You buy a new car and the want is filled again for a while. There is always something to want. As soon as you get that thing you were saving up for a new want surfaces. Like a child preparing for Christmas, the list is endless. On Christmas morning you see your list has been fulfilled yet you ask, "Is that all"? You mentally prepare a new list. The things you have acquired need more things to go with them to make them even better. Your neighbor landscapes now you want to landscape. A co-worker travels to France now you want to travel to France. Your brother and his family take a cruise; why can't we take a cruise? It never ends. The traditional way of looking at the 23^rd Psalms first verse is to know God is your provider. This is the true meaning of verse one. However, the phrase "I shall not want" is a good way to fight the constant feeling of lack in your life—the desire to buy, have, and acquire material things. Every time you look at a commercial and think for a second "I want that", immediately come back with "I shall not want". As you learn to ignore that hole that never fills, it begins to fill; not with possessions but with the Holy Spirit. By following your shepherd, accepting what he provides, and being content on your little green hill, you can feel whole inside and eliminate the feeling of want in your life. "I shall not want" things. What a wonderful feeling it is not to want things. When you reach a point where your head is no longer turned by the latest electronics you begin to experience a greater satisfaction inside. Your mind and heart are free to focus on the things that are really important in life—which are not things at all. "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want".

Dear heavenly Father, I thank you for being my shepherd and for all you have provided for me. I ask you today to help me stop wanting things so I can follow you better. Help me recognize you are my provider and my supply comes from you. Keep me from worry Lord, and keep me from want. In Jesus' name, Amen.