I Shall not Want

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” John 10: 11

I’ve been thinking about Jesus as the Good Shepherd a lot lately…not necessarily by choice, but because everywhere, at church, on the radio, in my devotions, the theme keeps popping up. Today, I did make the choice, though, to meditate on it for a bit.

The question that came to my mind was: what does the idea of Jesus as the Good Shepherd make me think about? How does that image make me feel?

Well…as I begin to think about it to answer these questions, I decide it would be better if I take a look at one of my favorite psalms… the ultimate shepherd’s guide, Psalm 23:

The Lord is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters.

He restores my soul;

He leads me in the paths of righteousness

For His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil;

For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell[a] in the house of the Lord

Forever.

I know, King James version, right? Well, it just doesn’t have the same feeling if I don’t use the King James…and since we are talking about how it makes me feel…well…there…

OK…yes, there are really good, insightful, amazingly thought-provoking and marvelously written volumes on Psalm 23rd…why add to the collection when it is nearing perfection? Well, I guess, I’d like to do my own personal meditations this time.

Therefore, I will go through this beloved Psalm one chunk at a time. Beginning, well, at the beginning:

The Lord is my Shepherd;

I shall not want.

I LOVE this verse. I never truly got it until I read Phillip Keller’s A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23rd, my personal favorite when it comes to studies on this Psalm. I do recommend it! Anyway, before I read Keller’s book I was like, “I shall not want my Lord as my Shepherd? What?” Then, I finally realized it meant that since the Lord is my Shepherd, I will not be in want for anything because He supplies all of my needs. WOW…insert head explosion here!

Yep, no worries. As the sheep, I should have no worries about anything, because I have a Shepherd who is Good and who takes care of me. Then, how come I still worry?

Well, perhaps, it might have something to do with the fact that I don’t know my Shepherd enough to trust Him with my everything…

I think, yes.

Remember what Jesus tells us in John 10?

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. John 10: 27

He says that those who belong to Him “listen” to Him. But in order for the sheep to hear…to listen to His voice, they have to, first, recognize His voice, and second, be quiet long enough to actually hear His voice.

Me?

Well, I realize I don’t know My Shepherd enough to recognize His voice among all the other voices that call out to me inside my head. I listen to all of those voices without discriminating which one is the One and Only I should actually listen to. I don’t quiet my soul long enough to allow for this discernment either.

Sigh…

How do I get to know My Shepherd better? The same way I would get to know anybody else: spending time with Him.

How do I quiet my soul long enough to hear His voice? I take captive my thoughts, put them at the foot of the cross and accept the fact that I am not at the driver’s seat.

I am just a sheep. I am not the one carrying the staff.



Lord, please, help me to listen to Your voice and let it soothe my soul as it calms it down long enough for me to relinquish my thoughts to You and allow You to be the Shepherd of my heart.