Psalm 23:1 NASB
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
Most of us have heard that
verse many times throughout our lives.
In fact it has taken up a very important spot in my life because it
teaches me about who God is and how God cares for me.
Take a few minutes to read
through and think through this first verse of Psalm 23. It might change your view of God.
“The Lord is my
shepherd.”
David said the above
words. David as well as Jesus put our
understanding on the line. He painted a
picture to describe God for us. He
humanized God or gave Him characteristics that we can see and hold on to.
But we have to be careful
not to take this human view of God in a direction that removes the deity of
God. In the son, Jesus, God was
completely God and completely man. He
lived to shepherd His people and brought so many truths in to our lives that we
cannot miss how God provides in the way a shepherd would for His sheep.
Colossians
1:15-20 reminds us that our shepherd is
more than a caregiver. He is God. He is the creator and the beginning of all
things. Everything is in subjection to
Him. God chose for the complete God to
dwell in Jesus meaning that He could be for us everything. The shepherd had a vital role with the
sheep. God has a vital role in our
lives, and we must submit to Him.
Go look at any shepherd with
his sheep and see how the caring is so very strong. It is not only His job to protect and to
provide for the sheep, but he goes far beyond to give the essence of safety and
strength to each of his sheep.
The life of any sheep
depends on the one who cares for it.
There is endless comfort and insight that the shepherd has and brings to
his work with the sheep.
Remember that sheep are not
the smartest animals in the world. Often
they get themselves lost. When their fur
is to heavy and long, a sheep can fall over and not be able to get back on his
feet. That is another time the shepherd
is so important to the sheep. Do you see
the between we humans and sheep?
“I shall not want.”
The next phrase is about the
ability of the sheep to trust the shepherd.
When we trust God, we fully rely on Him.
That is something we all need. To
live in that way we will live much different than most of the people we are
around.
The idea of not being in
need is huge. God provides what we need,
but humans have a tendency to have big appetites. Those things lead to confusion and
compilation in life. Trusting God will
take us to places we could not go on our own because we will not fight others
or go in wrong directions.
Some people preach and
believe that God is in the business of blessing people with material things and
money. When people have a lot of things
that money can buy, they often call those things “blessings from God.” In one sense that’s okay, but in another very
important sense, that’s a dangerous thing.
God’s desire is for us to be
satisfied and to trust Him. People who
say “I shall not want” have learned how to live with less and to trust God in
more than a casual way.
May we find ourselves
trusting God more. May we live with less
and allow our shepherd to guide and provide each day. To put this verse in to practice is to live a
changed life that only God can provide!
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