I Shall Not Want Psalms 23:1

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


The Lord is my shepherd; this statement pictures relationship. I shall not want portrays supply. David tells us that God is the controlling factor in his life and because of that, David says, "I do not want for anything." David was content in his life and his life was full and meaningful and he did not lack for anything. The desire of God's heart is to be the source of life for us all.

When we look at this statement, "I shall not want", it is important to remember that being a Christian is not living a life of comfort and ease. Walking with God does not guarantee us a life without problems. What it does promise us is God as our shepherd will safely lead us and He will protect us and He will give us the peace and comfort and strength to make it through the trials that we face. I like the statement, God does not promise us a smooth flight but He does promise us a safe landing!

When you and I look to Christ, we will find contentment in our lives. God created us to be this way. God created us with the need to find contentment in Him. He gave us the choice to find this peace and contentment in Him or to try to let the world give it to us. The world offers a lot of choices and makes a lot of promises that do not deliver at all. When we look to the world, we are tempted by greed and by the security of self-sufficiency; all of which take our attention away from the shepherd and the care that He has planned for us. The only way for us to find real and lasting peace and contentment in life is to look to the shepherd who provides for us and protects us and gives us utter contentment. The things of the world cannot satisfy the hunger that is on the inside of us that God placed there for Him to fill.

We are not capable of doing for ourselves the things that God has planned to do for us. Our "want" is determined by the degree of submission that we give to Him in our lives on a daily basis. As we make decisions that allow Him to be our shepherd, there is a peace that passes all understanding that over takes us. That peace sustains us even when the storms of life are beating down on us and we are fighting battles in our lives. God is in control and He will give us rest and He will satisfy our deepest desires and control our consuming cravings. God wants to be our shepherd. He does not want us to want for anything, except for Him!

I shall not want; what a wonderful supply to draw from!