I shall not want.

Psalm 23 is such a well known psalm that we tend to overlook just how powerful it is. I’ve been thinking about it lately and I would like to start a weekly series that will bring into focus one verse at a time from this beautiful psalm. This will be a bit different not just because it will be a series but also because I want to share what each verse means to me personally. Verse 1 says, The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. About 5 years ago, my life looked everything but what this verse says from my own perspective. I felt in deep need materially, spiritually, and emotionally. It was right after my dad passed away from cancer and I was faced with many quick life transitions that left me feeling confused and helpless. I was financially unstable, felt spiritually dry, and struggled to find my balance emotionally. Despite my difficult circumstances, I was miraculously given the strength to lean on God one day at a time. I would take long walks and seek Him for extended periods of time daily. I knew He would take care of all of my needs and I took every single one to Him, fully knowing that I was incapable of meeting them on my own. On some days everything seemed lost and I felt as if I was looking into nothingness as I took my usual walk to pray on a very cold day one late afternoon. The field overlooking the horizon was filled with bundles of hay that were neatly put together. My life looked nothing close to neat but the complete opposite. I remember looking in the distance and finding hope in the way the sun’s rays were warming the earth on such a cold day as the day drew close to an end. This was the same place where I came only a year later with tears of joy streaming down my face because God was fulfilling one of my needs in a way only He could. It was at sunset again this time and I ran wildly across that field thanking God and finding it almost impossible to believe that I would be getting married soon. My future husband was on the other side of the world, all the way in Australia, and the way it all unfolded seemed like a fairytale. He marked the beginning of a different season in my life- a season of fulfilled promises and overall wholeness. God started changing every situation in my life that seemed impossible and showed me that He is the Shepherd of our souls that meets our every need. He didn’t just bless me with a wonderful husband, but also answered my prayers of spiritual, emotional, and financial stability and all the years of waiting started to make sense. You see, if God chooses not to fulfill a certain need is not because it is unknown to Him but because He is working in the midst of our waiting and is accomplishing something at the moment unseen to us but that becomes plainly revealed once God changes our circumstances. I can now humbly and confidently say that God is my Shepherd, and I have everything I need. I found out yet again that He alone is the very fulfillment of my soul’s deepest need and if I have Him- I am more than blessed!