Psalm 23:1 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 23:1 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
Devotion
When given the assigned texts for this week I had to ask if today’s reading was the entire twenty-third Psalm or just the first verse? To my disappointment, I was told it was only the first verse. It would have been much easier to write about the Lord leading me beside still waters to take a nap in a lush green pasture, instead of a single verse ending with “I shall not want.” I do want…all sorts of things, all the time. That is why I/we need the first five words of Psalm 23, “the Lord is my shepherd.” More than the words, we need the guiding presence of the One to whom they refer (“the Word”). When we are led by the Spirit we are not only free from sin and death, we can even experience freedom from our wants. (Well, except for the flat-screen TV I want, but God wants me to have that, right?)
Prayer
Heavenly Father, leading Spirit, shepherding Savior, help guide me toward the things I need and that only you can give; eternal nourishment, rest and forgiveness. Amen.