Published by This morning God turned me to an “old familiar” in Psalm, but one of the many challenges we face as Christians is to continually read the Word and gain new understanding each time we read it and to be renewed by it.
Sometimes this can be difficult when you’ve read a scripture dozens of times or more. Yet, God is faithful in continually helping us to do that. So, when I read Psalm 23, I tried to take it a little slower than I usually do and let the meaning of the words roll around
in me.
Psalm 23: A Psalm of David.
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
The Lord is our shepherd; he is always looking after us and tending to our needs. So why do we sometimes find ourselves in want? Well, when we find ourselves in want, we oftentimes find ourselves not in line with God’s will.
What I mean by this is that what we SHOULD want are
the things that we need. I realize that I need things like food, water, shelter, and love to survive and thrive. So, naturally, I want all of these things, as does everyone else. But, my “list of wants”
doesn’t stop there.
Not only do I want food, but I want food now (McDonalds, Burger King), I want food hot (we microwave things to cook them quickly, when really the purpose of the microwave is simply to heat things for short durations), and I want enough food to last me for a long time – and to
be edible for whenever I eventually get to eating it (canned goods with preservatives).
Not only do I want water (or at least I’m starting to appreciate it), but I want carbonated water with sugar and syrup and enough calories to supplement a meal (a.k.a. pop). And besides drinking water, I also need to shower with water. Hot water…very hot water. In fact, I’ll
just turn on the water in the shower and let it run for several minutes without using it. I’ll waste gallons of water so that I’ll be comfortable when I finally decide to step into the steaming, hot water. Of course, my want is for that hot water while there are millions of people (probably billions) who’s want is just for ANY
water they can get their mouths on.
Not only do I want shelter, but I want the biggest and best shelter that money can buy. And, I don’t want this shelter just for the amazing sleep I’ll get on my King-sized bed, but it’s all the other amazing things I can put into my huge shelter that will fulfill my
wants. I want that big screen tv, I want that cushy, leather couch (or two or three), and that comfy chair to go with it. I want the top of the line dishwasher so I don’t even have to put a brush to a dish.
I want to expand my shelter and put a sun room in it so I can play cards in it and watch yet another tv…how many tv’s do I have now? One for each room? If not, I want more. I want the biggest refrigerator money can buy so I’ll always have enough food on hand for me and mine.
Now, those are just some random examples of what the extremely rich want to have…or maybe that’s the upper-middle class who want it…or is it the lower-middle class…or maybe even the poor in America that want that? And, this is true for more than just the people in America, but we live here and all of us know what society tells us is important. Just watch commercials through one tv show, and you’ll see what we all “have to have.” What we “need” to live. What we “need” to make our lives easier. Just those three basic things – food, water, and shelter. That’s all we want isn’t it?
But, only when we start living for God and aligning our perspective with His, then it becomes ever clear that the Lord IS our shepherd and that we shall NOT be in want. He provides for us; He always has and always will. Adam and Eve had everything they needed in the Garden of Eden; they had no wants or needs outside of what God provided them.
But, when they began to turn from God’s will and His perspective and turn towards temptation – then suddenly they were “in want.”
My prayer for us all today is that we align our thinking and our will with our Creator’s, that we become thankful for all the blessings He’s given us – in whatever form, and that we realize that those in the Lord will never be in want – we will have all we need for eternity!
