Want

Psalm 23. A chapter of the Bible most people have heard even if they don’t attend church regularly. For many it is the first group of verses people memorize as it is short and applies to many situations. It covers topics such as comfort, guidance, rest, fear. The problem with scriptures like this is that when they are so well known people tend to gloss over the parts and not examine them individually. It becomes an item to mark off a checklist.

The most common version recited for verse 1 is, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.” (KJV) This seems fairly straightforward and not much need for interpretation or breakdown. The Amplified version begins with, “The Lord is my Shepherd (to feed, to guide, and to shield me). Feed, guide, shield. The 3 basic things people need from God. If you just stop there and think about those words, why would you need the second part of the verse? The NLT writes the second part of the verse as, “I have all that I need.” The Message version says, “I don’t need a thing.” That should be the end of it. Everyone who reads that verse and believes it should live a life full of only contentment. So why is that not the case?

Our humanness takes over and we forget to think about what God being our shepherd really means. Webster’s 1828 dictionary lists one definition of want as “that which is not possessed, but is desired or necessary for use or pleasure”. How many times have we had everything we needed to use and still wrestled with wanting something else? We often feel want for other things because we are seeking those things we don’t possess that we think will bring more pleasure to our lives. In order to live a fulfilling life, the one that God intends us to live, we only need to acknowledge Him as our Shepherd-to feed, guide, and shield us. We will survive our moments of wanting more than we actually need. We will thrive if we can truly be content with what our Shepherd provides.