I Shall Not Want
Psalm 23 is one of the most beautiful passages in the entire Bible. It has provided comfort to generations of Christians who were facing hard times. David himself, who wrote the Psalm, was facing hard times but in these verses, we see the heart of hope that never doubted that God would come through and deliver him out of his dark season. And you know what? If God was willing to do that for David, He is most definitely willing to do it for you too.
The Psalm opens up with the words, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want…“. To want means to be lacking in something but this powerful verse lets us know that those who follow after God will not lack anything necessary for God’s purpose to be accomplished in their lives. Not only that, but they will be content with how the Good Shepherd cares and provides for them even in times of hardship because they trust His love and commitment to them.
The next two verses give us God’s assurance that He will meet all of our needs including our physical needs and our spiritual needs. Verse 2 says, “He makes me to lie down in green pastures.” To lie down means to rest and so David recognizes that God will provide our physical bodies the rest that we need.
It then goes on to say, “He leads besides still waters.” The word “Still” means calmness as in calmness without winds or waves. In other words, a resting place. Here’s a question for you, do you know when sheep can lay down and rest? The answer is when they know the shepherd is near. Because of the presence and nearness of the Good Shepherd, God’s sheep can lie down in peace and be free from all fear. He leadeth me beside the still waters represents that peace, the life, and the refreshment that comes from the Holy Spirit dwelling with us.
But what about our spiritual needs? Well, verse 3 says “He restores my soul and leads me in the path of righteousness for His name’s sake.” Let’s take a deeper dive into both pieces of this verse:
“He restores my soul.” Restore means to bring back into its original use, function, or position. “My soul” – our soul is our inner self; the part of each of us that thinks, feels, wills, and desires. Another way of putting it is that man’s soul consists of his mind (intelligence), his heart (emotions), and his will. But sometimes our minds can get so disturbed and our hearts so heavy that we feel completely hopeless and discouraged. It is in those times that the God Shepherd (God) will restore, revive, and re-energize our souls through His power and His goodness.
The verse then talks about God leading us into the paths of righteousness but what are the paths? Well, a path is a way or a course of conduct. When you walk on a path, you’re going along a certain way. But spiritually, we should all be going along the path of following the righteousness of Christ which is God’s moral standards.
And so putting them both together, God leads (guides) His sheep to a way of conducting themselves daily that conforms to the moral standard of God and puts us on the right path to fulfilling His perfect purpose for our lives. What are you in need of today? If it’s a physical need, God has got you. If it’s a spiritual need, God has got you. These verses give us His promise that we can rest knowing our Good Shepherd is always watching out for His sheep.