I Shall Not Be In Want

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. --Pslam 23:1

Stop for a moment and think about that phrase...the Lord is my shepherd, I shall NOT want. The truth in that small statement is a lesson that takes the believer a lifetime to master; for it will not be until we are in heaven, made perfect, that we will be fully content, fully satisfied, and "FULL" in Him.

I remember memorizing this verse as a kindergarten student at the Christian school I went to. We would recite it as an entire school every week, and yet I hadn't even begun to understand what I was saying. My words had not been the meditation of my heart and mind. As the years went on, the more I read the verse, the more I began to feel the weight of the statement. I saw the reality that if I truly believed I had EVERYTHING in Christ, I would be fully content in whatever my lot in life, full and not in want. And yet my life was not marked by this attitude continually. Although I was His, I failed to take advantage of the blessing of having everything I needed for life and godliness. And then in 2006 I faced a trial that forced me to cry out this prayer and trust and live it. I had always been dependent on him and he was always all I needed but now that reality was staring me right in the face.

Since then I have found the power in believing and pursing the faith that allows you to live this truth out. When you live knowing He is all you need and in him you have all things, you want nothing more...you are full and satisfied. You find joy in every circumstance and live faithfully in the moment. It is a daily battle to keep your eyes fixed on Him, to trust His providence, and to live with faith like this but with Him it is possible. Our hearts must desire, as believers, to be made full in Him, and strive to do that. When we find ourselves lacking joy or hope or in despair and discontent we must refocus and remember that THE LORD IS OUR SHEPHERD...and when we do this, when we have our hearts fixed and full in Him, WE SHALL NOT BE IN WANT...no matter what our lot.