“I shall not want” Psalm 23:1
I’ve often wondered about this verse. I am pretty sure that I am trusting the Lord as my shepherd and I still want a ton of things. I mean right now for instance after listening to the pitter- patter of little feet outside my hotel door until 3 A.M. (it is now 6) I really want sleep!
So what does this verse mean? The word used for want can also mean diminish, to subtract from. So “I shall not want” can also mean “I shall not be diminished”.
It’s pretty clear that Christians can and do have needs, some of which are never met. Good Christian men and women are starving to death right now across the face of the Earth. Some are in prison and they WANT out. Some are like me, really tired because some rascally youth decided to set off the smoke detector in her room in the middle of the night during youth convention.. But whether or not our needs are met today, tomorrow or in eternity they do not have to diminish or subtract from our faith. If we let the Lord be our shepherd he will provide what is truly needful and if it’s not provided then it’s not really needed no matter what it is. If it’s not needed then it should not diminish us or subtract from who we are or what we were created to be. Nows that’s a heavy revvy that needs some thought!
Where in your life have you wanted something only to realize it was not something God was going to give?
Reinventing the We'll 
This IS heavy, Pastor J. I am rather stunned by it. Taking in that it is about not being diminished. That is really powerful. Your question was a hard one for me. There are some things that I still “want” that have not been given yet . . .but it’s not over either. One thing would be that I had wanted my daughter to be healed in order to go back to school and enter into classes like everyone else, after she homeschooled for awhile. That didn’t happen. To me, that means He has a better plan going on. He must have known that is not what we really needed and you are right, my faith and hers has not been diminished by not receiving that. In fact, quite the opposite.
God bless you and thank you so much for teaching us from Psalm 23. You’ve blessed me!
Thank you Debbie! God does have a greater plan in mind. When our prayers are not answered it is because HE has something better we just cannot see. I will add your daughter to my prayer list.
Oh, Pastor J, this is quite a blog. I, like Debbie, want my child healed and it hasn’t happened yet but my Faith has only become stronger through this wanting and needing. It is so awesome to see my son at 8yrs old trust God for a complete healing over his brain. I never knew Jesus at his age and this is the greatest blessing for me to see that his faith in God is so strong. I believe He has a greater plan for my son and until He tells me otherwise I will continue to walk by Faith until it is sight whether it be on this side of Heaven or not. How comforting to know we have a Father in heaven who knows everything we need just when we need it. God’s plan is the best and may we all have peace in knowing He is taking care of every need we have.
This is such an awesome attitude Debby! God does have great things in store for Tommy I know it. THe Lord has used him so powerfully already to build the faith of so many! I am continuing to trust with you for Tommy’s complete healing!
>> “Where in your life have you wanted something only to realize it was not something God was going to give?
Many, many times, and it is also many, many times that I realised God was right and I was wrong.
One thing that stands out in memory was before my first child was born. From a very early age I had imagined having a daughter called Christine whom I would love and treat so very differently from the way I had been treated. I was totally convinced that I was having a girl and the idea of a boy never entered my mind. My first son was born . . . and four more sons followed in later years.
You know, God was right! It was only a short time before I realised that I could NOT have brought up daughters the way I brought up my sons – and God removed my desire for a daughter. Because of my early years I could not have given them what they needed. I could not have related to them the way I could to my sons. Even in my many years of teen/youth ministry I related much better to boys than to girls. God was right and I praise Him for not giving me daughters.
What an amazing God!
Isn’t it amazing Angela how He knows what we need (and even what we want ) better than we do?
Dear Pastor J
Please exit my head at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely,
ann
P.S. – I think the “I want that but He won’t give it to me” happens more frequently than I care to admit. For some things, He has satisfied in ways I couldn’t imagine, but for others, my heart still yearns for the day when I will be satisfied (with or without them.)
This is a most beautiful post. It is showing me the realities I don’t necessarily like dealing with.
Please have a look at Pat’s post when you have a moment. I read that before I came here. How great is our God?!
Blessings,
ann
Our God is very great! Life is filled with so many questions about what God is going to do and why He seems to delay. It is a constant learning process for me to come to the place where I see the seeming stillness from God as Thomas A’Kempis did ,”the recreating silences”. Thanks for your blessed candor which speaks truth for all of us Ann! 🙂
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