I Shall Not Want

A Dairy Queen was built a few miles from our house but we didn’t drive by it on a regular basis. It was in an area of town where we seemed to only pass by it when we were coming home from a camping trip or a day trip to play around on our 4-wheeler’s. I’m sure my memory of this is completely wrong but it’s how I remember it.

I probably remember it this way because my Dad is a BIG Dairy Queen fan and it seemed we’d stop there a few times when it first opened; then only occasionally. I suppose the newness wore off or now as an adult, I realize there might have been other reasons such as, we didn’t have the cash on hand to buy a bag of Buster Bars or we were on a time crunch or simply it was too late and it wan’t open. No matter the reason, I just always WANTED to stop.

As a child, I didn’t understand the difference between wants and needs. I really only knew WANTS. I wanted the ice cream, I wanted a pair of Guess Jeans (with the pastel triangle) and I wanted Jimmy Johnson to “like” me. I thought these things would make me happy and make me complete. Instead, as an adult, I know that if I had gotten those things, I would simply replace them with MORE WANTS. One is never completely satisfied and continues to desire more and more.

In Psalm 23, the words “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want” are merely words, or at least were to me until I came to understand the power of the first five words in the scripture. The Lord is my Shepherd. When I began to study the scripture and came to know God and understood the role of the Shepherd, it occurred to me the final four words are the expected outcome if you believe the first five words to be true.

I shall not want, because I know the Lord, my Shepherd will provide for my needs. I shall not want, because Jesus never leaves me. I shall not want, because God has plans for me which I do not know, but I trust God only wants what is best for me. I shall not want because I have been satisfied by the scriptures.

No longer do I want like I did as a child. I was seeking things that I thought would satisfy me. Now I am grateful instead for what is provided. I believe God knows what I need so there is no reason to want. This is why Psalm 23 is such a popular piece of scripture; it gives peace and satisfaction to your soul. Allow God to provide for your needs and you will no longer want for the things of this world either.