I shall not want!
Psalm 23:1
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (KJV)
Psalm 23 is perhaps the most popular and well-beloved psalm. In this psalm, there is an analogy made between God and His people and a good shepherd and his sheep. It is said that only shepherds know the true beauty of this metaphor. Whereas most of us just recite it from heart without thinking of the deeper meaning, shepherds know the loving relationship, support, provision, and protection that sheep receive daily from their good shepherds.
Let’s just focus on this first verse. The only reason the psalmist “shall not want” is because the Lord is His shepherd. The psalmist made sure to mention that the Lord was His shepherd first because he knew the following sentence was contingent upon it. Because sheep are so helpless and defenseless, they truly rely on the benevolence of their shepherds to keep them fed and protected. If a flock of sheep has a wicked or lazy shepherd, you can rest assured that there will be times when the sheep shall “want”. But with the good Lord as our Shepherd, we can rest assured that we will want for nothing!
~ Prayer ~
Lord, we acknowledge you as our shepherd. We know that we, like sheep, are defenseless and helpless without you. Yet, we rest peacefully knowing that we can trust you with our lives because you are guiding and comforting us with your rod and your staff. We know that if we remain in your flock that you will protect us from wolves and other dangers seen and unseen today. Thank you for being a Good Shepherd. Amen.
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