The Lord is my shepherd
Who do you follow?
Is the Lord my shepherd?
Do I really belong to Him?
Do I really recognize His right to me?
Do I respond to His authority and acknowledge His ownership?
Do I find freedom and complete fulfillment in this arrangement?
Do I sense a purpose and deep contentment because I am under His direction?
Do I know rest and repose, besides a definite sense of exciting adventure, in belonging to Him?
If so, then with genuine gratitude and exaltation I can exclaim proudly, just as David did, “The Lord is my shepherd!”
I am thrilled to belong to Him, for it is thus that I shall flourish and thrive no matter what life may bring to me.
I shall not be in want.
It is absurd to assert on the basis of this statement that the child of God, the sheep in Shepherd’s care, will never experience lack or need.
Consider the careers of men like Elijah, John the Baptist, our Lord himself, all of them experienced great personal privation and adversity.
Based on the teachings of the Bible, we can only conclude that David was not referring to material or physical poverty when he made the statement, “I shall not be in want.”
“I shall not want… I shall not lack the expert care and management of my Master.”
You may know some of the wealthiest men. Despite their dazzling outward show of success, despite their affluence and their prestige, they remained poor in spirit, shrivelled in soul, and unhappy in life.
By way of contrast, we have known some relatively poor people – people who have known hardship, disaster, and the struggle to stay afloat financially. They are permeated by a deep, quiet, settled peace that is beautiful to behold. They are rich in spirit, generous in heart, and large of soul. They radiate serene confidence and quiet joy that surmounts all the tragedies of their time.
Contentment should be the hallmark of the man and woman who has put his or her affairs in the hands of God.
Contentment is not having what we want, but wanting what we have.
An excerpt from A Shepherd looks at Psalm 23
Grow In God's Grace 