Jehovah is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Psalm 23:1
They say that familiarity breeds contempt, and I hate to admit that it has happened to me, at least to a certain point. It seems that the 23rd Psalm is one of the most beloved Bible verses of all time. It is found on bookmarks, cards, church bulletins, wall hangings, and so on. I must admit that it got to a point where I would read this verse, and not really get much from it. It was too "familiar" to me and I took it for granted.
It is also true that difficult circumstances can get our minds and attentions back to where they belong, on God and His faithfulness. That is what has happened to me. Over the last two years with all that has been happening in the world, I found myself growing stressed with many things. It was covid and the lockdowns. Lack of certain food items in stores, then prices rising, and the final straw seemed to be the recent surge in fuel prices. I was panicky and worried, wondering how we as a family could make it, as things seemed to be spiraling out of control.
My mind was brought back to this Psalm and its opening phrase, Jehovah is my shepherd; I shall not want. I began to think on this. Just as a rancher who raises sheep takes good care for them, providing food, water, and shelter, how much more does the living God care for us? The God who created this world and the things in it, who created us and cares for us, is perfectly able to provide our needs as well. As I pondered this Psalm, I realized that the sheep who are well cared for by their shepherds lack nothing, so too, we who are cared for by our heavenly Father do not lack anything either. So why worry and stress about the economy? God is fully willing and able to meet our needs, and we too will not want.
