Today, I want to give focus to a text that we in the Christian church always read but we often take for granted. The 23rd Psalm is one of the most recognized texts in all of Scripture, but I would like to reflect today on verse 1 which says: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”
The vast majority of us in the world did not think twice this morning concerning certain movements and gyrations we made during the course of the day. We never gave it a thought that our bodily functionality would be operating in the lane it was supposed to work in. Our hands and fingers rotated and flexed as they were designed to. We could lift our arms and legs and wiggle our toes within respectable reason.
For most of us our eyes and mouth opened from the canvas of our face and we could see what was around us and we could pronounce a sound from our voice while the smell of our nose reminded us that we needed to brush our teeth before we opened our mouth again while waking up. We heard the alarm clock go off and our ears transferred an acute and keen message to our brain that it was morning time and that we needed to get up from the covers and the bed to get ready for a day we had never seen. As we got up and walked to our bathroom, most of us realized that there was a toilet that we could use in order to relieve ourselves, a sink with adequate running water in order to clean our face, brush our teeth, and rinse our mouth. We were able to bath appropriately, shave, groom, and then find that we had garments to choose from that we could wear based on the occasion we were leaving our home for.
When we finally made it to the kitchen, we opened up the pantry, cupboard, and refrigerator and discovered that we had numerous choices of food and drink that could satisfy the void in our belly that hunger had produced. We were able to open the front door of our shelter (home, apartment, or otherwise) that God had placed over our heads and walk to the 4-wheeled “chariot” made by Ford, Chevy, Nissan, Toyota, or some other automaker which we had a key to that provided our means for transportation for the day until we arrived back to our homes to repeat a similar cycle for the very next day.
Truly, people of God, “The Lord is our shepherd, and we shall not want.” Everything that I previously expressed was only an inkling to the provision that God gives us every single day. We may not have all the food we desire, but thank God that we have the food we need: I SHALL NOT WANT! We may not live in a 12-room palace, but thanks to the good shepherd we have an adequate roof over our head: I SHALL NOT WANT! We may not drive a “fresh off the lot” Mercedes Benz, but thanks to Jehovah Jireh the old-school ’95 Nissan Maxima is paid for and is still getting us from point A to point B: I SHALL NOT WANT!
Extravagancy will never outweigh or overshadow necessity according to God’s standard. Whether we are blessed with that brand new Mercedes or with the used vehicle from down the street, both are only used to serve the same need for transportation. Whether it’s filet mignon or cube steak from the supermarket, both serve the same need to eradicate hunger.
As you go through your day today, keep in mind that you have everything that you need because the Lord supplies it as the shepherd who sees all, knows all, and yes, provides all. “The Lord is my shepherd, I SHALL NOT WANT.”
Peace and Blessings.
Rev. E. Shon Hagwood, M.Div.
