Truly, what is said in Psalm 23:1 and 23:8 pack enough spiritual bread that, I dare say, if we truly believe what we are reading...our hearts will never hunger and our souls will always be content.
Psalm 23:1 in the Holman Christian Bible says:
"The Lord is my Shepherd; there is nothing I lack."
Nothing I lack. Trying to wrap my head around that is both sobering and amazing all at the same time.
Sobering because there are so many things that I would say I need in order to function with full joy, peace and a level of normalcy: a proper amount of sleep, a home that is clean, children that obey, a husband that is thoughtful, enough money in the bank, times of quiet, days of rest, and not too many interruptions in my day. Of course, that is probably the tip of the iceberg of all the things I convince myself that I "need".
But I only need the Lord as my Shepherd...and lack NOTHING if He is.
Amazing, isn't it? If Jesus is our Lord and Savior, we have all that we need. There is nothing in this world that can make us more complete than we already are in Christ. Not a vacation, not a more spiritual husband, not children that are saved, not a day without interruptions, not the removal of a physical ailment, not an orderly house and not even a bigger bank account.
"For in Him the entire fullness of God's nature dwells bodily, and you have been filled by Him, who is the head over every ruler and authority." Colossians 2:9-10
"And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:8
"I say: The Lord is my portion, therefore I will put my hope in Him." Lamentations 3:24
What hope! What joy! What peace can be ours! It doesn't matter whether all we desire comes to pass or none of it...our heart can be at rest in all circumstances because Jesus can never be taken away and our salvation is secure. It's not Jesus plus or minus anything...it's just Jesus...the sweetest name we could ever know!
But what do we do with hard times? What do we do when our health continues to deteriorate, our children walk away from the Truth they know, our house is far from in order and there is not enough money in our account to pay for the repairs our car needs? The answer is found in the other piece of "bread" we so desperately need. Psalm 23:6 says:
"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."
Only goodness and faithful love. Did you catch that? All that God gives us: the financial struggles, the daily interruptions, the pain of broken relationships and the nights of sleeplessness are, for the believer, only goodness and faithful love from the hands of our precious Lord.
"We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those that are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28
"For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen." Romans 11:36
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to His great mercy, He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, uncorrupted, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who
are being protected by God's power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. You rejoice in this, though now for a short time you have had to be distressed by various trials so that the genuineness of your faith - more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire - may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 1:3-7
And the goodness and faithful love of God doesn't just "show up"...it pursues us. It won't let us go. It's found in the moments when God does more than we could have asked or imagined, and it's still there in the hard moments we would run far away from and never choose, if given the option. It's all a gift, it's all grace, it's all goodness and faithful love because it's all about our Savior and Lord.
We lack nothing and we have everything. May we believe it and live it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyUPz6_TciY
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