1 The Lord is my shepherd;
I have what I need.

2 He lets me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside quiet waters.

3 He renews my life;
he leads me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.

4 Even when I go through the darkest valley,
I fear no danger,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff—they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

6 Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life,and I will dwell in the house of the
Lord
as long as I live.

-Psalm 23 (CSB)

The Lord is my Shepherd.

I have what I need (CSB).

I shall not want (KJV).

I lack nothing (NIV).

Sweet friend, what’s it like to have everything you need? To have no want of anything? To lack nothing?

I imagine that those are questions most if not all of us would say we can’t answer. Goodness, my gut reaction is to certainly say, “How would I know?”

After all, I am not a wealthy person, nor was I raised in a wealthy home. There are lots of things I’ve wanted over the past 42 years. There are things I’d say I’ve needed over the past 42 years as well.

And yet, if I stop to think about how the Lord is my Shepherd, I must realize that I have everything I need.

A shepherd ensures that his sheep have food and water, that they are physically healthy and safe, and that they are well-rested and at peace.

Does God provide for my physical needs?

• Absolutely He does (Psalm 145:15-16).

Does God secure my present and my future?

• Absolutely He does (Psalm 91:1-12).

Does God give me rest and peace?

• Absolutely He does (Philippians 4:7; 2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

Do I want things?

• I do.

Am I in want of anything?

• Truly, I am not.

Dear heart, though the world would have us believe that we do not have enough, that we need more, that we are lacking in some way, the simple truth is, with the Lord as our Shepherd, we have everything we need.

In fact, we have more than we could ever imagine because God has secured for us a future in Heaven where we will have no physical needs and therefore be in need of nothing at all, where we will be satisfied completely by the presence of our Living God (Philippians 3:21; Acts 17:25).

As we continue to meditate on Psalm 23 and what it means that the Lord is our Shepherd, let us thank God today for all that He has provided for us in this life and in our eternal home, let us ask God to reveal and root out any seeds of dissatisfaction in our hearts that we may better realize how we truly have all we need in Him.