I Have All That I Need

Recently, I was preparing a sermon on Psalm 23 and I really got hung up on the first verse, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” When I preach from the Psalms or read the Psalms, I strive to read or teach on the whole Psalm. Reading half a Psalm is like listening to half a song or reading half a poem—you are better served to hear all the words from the author, the musician, the poet.

I have been inspired from the words of the 23^rd Psalm throughout my life. From the young age of 10 I had to memorize the Psalm for an after-school kids club. Likely I have heard its words hundreds of times at church through the years. Earlier this year I was really inspired in a new way with the text as Joyce Rees was talking to The Mustard Seed staff at our annual spiritual retreat. Because of the inspiration I received, I knew that I had to respond with pen in hand, and my latest sermon is a result of that. 

The Lord is my Shepherd;

I shall not want (NASB);

I lack nothing (NIV);

I have all that I need (NLT) 

In the one-third world today it seems that my one-year-old iPhone is old news and that everyone keeps telling me I need a tablet to be more effective in my job. I imagine this mindset clashes fairly hard with the writer’s intent when he wrote, I shall not want. I feel that if I lived closer to an ‘I lack nothing’ lifestyle, my neighbors and those around me in need would be a lot better off, because I would be thinking of their needs a lot more often than my own. 
                                   

Where does this longing come from? Why can’t I stop and smell the roses and enjoy today? Why do I worry about tomorrow or think about that bigger house or vacation property? I came across a poem when preparing for my sermon which challenged me on these very questions. It was written by a 14 year old named Jason Lehman:

It was spring, but it was summer I wanted,
The warm days, and the great outdoors.
It was summer, but it was fall I wanted,
The colorful leaves, and the cool, dry air.
It was fall, but it was winter I wanted,
The beautiful snow, and the joy of the holiday season.
It was winter, but it was spring I wanted,
The warmth and the blossoming of nature.
I was a child, but it was adulthood I wanted,
The freedom and respect.
I was 20, but it was 30 I wanted,
To be mature, and sophisticated.
I was middle-aged, but it was 20 I wanted,
The youth and the free spirit.
I was retired, but it was middle-age I wanted,
The presence of mind without limitations.
My life was over, and I never got what I wanted.

This poem challenges me to live in the moment and appreciate each day as a blessing from God. When life deals you a curveball as it does to me, listen to the powerful words in verse 2 & 3 from the 23^rd Psalm:

He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.

Come to the Good Shepherd today for rest, for refreshment and to find fulfillment for your life today, and tomorrow. God is enough and will show you that you truly lack nothing; that you have all you need and that you shall not want.

- Byron Bradley, Student Engagement Coordinator, The Mustard Seed

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