All That You Need

I’ll never forget the empty shelves during that pre-dawn trip to the grocery store. It was March 2020, a few days into the quarantine, when I ventured out the store early and hoped it wouldn’t be crowded. Rather than shopping from a menu plan and grocery list, I wandered around the store, trying to figure out meals based on what was available. 

Many of us felt the stress of lacking the groceries, toilet paper, and social interaction that we never expected to go without. Maybe today you have plenty of toilet paper, but you worry about other things that you might lose or lack in the future. One of the most well-known verses in the Bible tells us that God will supply everything we need. It’s so familiar that sometimes we forget how truly incredible these words are: 

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1)

Step back and imagine you are an ancient Israelite, worshipping the Lord with your family, hearing this for the first time. I think it would make me stop and think, because this verse makes some shocking claims!

First of all, David says the Lord is our Shepherd. He’s not only Creator and King ruling over all things. He’s more than a strong Rock we can run to for protection. He is all of these things, but He is also our Shepherd. He is with us, knows us personally, carries us, and provides for us. 

And because our Shepherd is also the Creator of the universe and the powerful King of kings, we shall not want. Let that soak in. We will not ever go without anything we need. 

I’ll be the first to admit this doesn’t always feel true. (I need a vacation, right?!) But we see throughout God’s Word that He provides for His children. He gave His most precious gift to provide for our greatest need: His only Son sacrificed for our salvation. As Romans 8:32 says, we know that in addition to Christ, He will give us everything else we need. 

Our Shepherd may not give us everything we want, but He gives us everything we need. As we learn to find our greatest delight in Him and in His gifts, we shall not want (Psalm 16:11). 

No matter what you face this week, your Shepherd will give you all that you need. 

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