Psalm 23 (Meditation) [Part 1]

Note: In Meditation posts, I will be sharing the lessons and insights I have personally gained from studying and meditating on God’s Word. Please note that these are from my personal viewpoint. I am aware that God may reveal many different insights to different people from the same verse or passage. That is what makes the Bible alive! So don’t stop searching for God’s own personal revelation to you.

      Verse one: The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

      So first, the LORD is our shepherd. One method of meditation that I find very effective is emphasizing different words as I repeat the phrase or sentence. Let’s try it out.

      “The LORD is my shepherd.” The word emphasized is “LORD.” God Himself is the one who is personally involved in our lives. Imagine the wonder of knowing that Jehovah, the King who created the heavens, cares about us enough to be our shepherd.

      “The LORD is MY shepherd.” Again, this reflects the personal character of our God. He doesn’t just look at the human race as a whole. He knows each one of us by name. David did not say “The LORD is OUR shepherd,” though it is true. He was specifically saying “The LORD is MY shepherd.” He recognized that God has His eyes on each individual’s life.

      “The LORD is my SHEPHERD.” Now, what does a shepherd do? A shepherd is one who guides, protects, and provides for his sheep. A shepherd watches over his flock, repeatedly counting them to make sure none were missing. Christ depicted his loving role as shepherd in the story of the 100 sheep. When just one of the fluffy animals was missing, the shepherd immediately left the other ninety-nine in the fold and went out to search for it. And he never stopped searching until that missing one was back safe with the flock. That’s our God. That’s our Shepherd.

      Let’s move on to the next phrase: I shall not want. What does “want” mean? Does it mean I will not have any desire whatsoever? No, that doesn’t make sense. Let’s check the Greek translation, shall we? The Greek word for “want” is “khaw-sare',” which means “to lack, or be without.” So the phrase actually says, “I shall not lack”! Cool! How does that fit into the whole verse?

      “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” When we allow the Lord to be the guide of our life, we have nothing to fear. We will not lack anything. Sure, we can desire riches and possessions, but that’s just what we want. God promises that we will have everything we need, should we dedicate everything we are to Him, and to depend on Him as much as the sheep depend on the shepherd. This is something I’m trying to remember, too. I often fear the future, wondering if I’ll ever live in poverty. I need to learn to trust God more, and to have confidence in His faithfulness. We all need to grow in faith as we walk with the Lord.

Blessings,
Nathanael Chong