After his profound powerful confession that, "The Lord is my shepherd," David in Psalm 23:1 expresses with absolute confidence: "I want nothing.'' That is a better translation than, "I shall not want.'' For what we need above all is a shepherd who will supervise our whole life, take constant care of us, protect us from all our enemies and lead us to the glory of the kingdom of heaven. Having Jehovah as our shepherd all these needs will be taken care of in full. We shall not want because of what we now have. Having Jehovah as our shepherd we want nothing. All we need is Him, and having Him we want nothing.
This is true because He is the I AM. That is what His name means; and to the believer that means volumes. That name tells us that He depends upon no one and upon nothing. Every creature — and that includes the devil — depends upon Him for all its existence. All creatures must say, "1 will be, if it pleases Him." Only God can say ''I AM,'' because He has in Himself all He needs for His life. He is, therefore, also unchangeable and cannot be changed or influenced by any creature. All creatures depend upon Him completely. Therefore also He has absolute control over them all.
He then is the one Who can and does take care of us, the shepherd who will unerringly lead us to the kingdom of heaven. Put your trust in Him completely. Doubt not for the slightest moment the safety of your body and soul. The first thing to do when you awake every morning is to sing;
My shepherd is the Lord,
Who knows my need,
And I am blest;
By quiet streams
In pastures green He leads!
And makes me rest.
My soul He saves
And for His own name's sake
He guides my feet
The paths of right to take.
And because Jehovah has given us to His Son, so that we are the sheep of His flock, all is well. Giving us His Son, He supplied all our needs. We may not get all that our flesh desires, and all what we think we need. But we will receive everything we need to arrive presently in the kingdom of His dear Son, where we will not know what want is and will ever be full.
Read: Psalm 23
Psalter versification: 56:1
(Words and Music of the Psalter)
Devotions on the Heidelberg Catechism
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Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
Genesis 37 ; Genesis 38:1-30
Matthew 12:22-45
Psalm 16:1-11
Proverbs 3:27-32
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Quote for Reflection:
...Christ, being innocent even by declaration of an ungodly judge named Pontius Pilate, yet condemned, bore that wrath of God for all the sins of the whole elect race from the beginning to the end of the world. Can you imagine what a burden of guilt and wrath that was?! He suffered, even being crucified, in order to make us all perfect, fitting for the new heaven and the new earth.
– Rev. Steven Key
Additional Info
- Date: 18-January
