By: Dr. Steven K. Parker
Reflection on the week:
· How have you seen God at work this week?
· What praises and words of thanksgiving would you offer God today?
Approaching God’s word: Spend a few moments in silent prayer and meditation, asking God to open your heart to His word for you.
Reading the text: We’re going to be studying Psalm 23 for the coming weeks. If you missed this week’s message, you can access it here. Spend some time today meditating on the beautiful words of this prayerful song. Focus on the words, “I shall not want,” as you read today.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever. (Psalm 23)
Reflection on the passage:
What does “I shall not want” mean?
Do you think most people in America today ever experience that kind of contentment?
What might a lack of contentment say about us spiritually?
Pastoral Thoughts:
Psalm 23 is a prayer of content dependence on the Good Shepherd that leads us to a relationship in which we will never be found empty, deprived, or lacking, because of God’s Providence. The Message paraphrases this verse saying, “God, my shepherd! I don’t need a thing” (Psalm 23:1). Only when we follow the Good Shepherd closely can we truly say, “Because of my relationship with God, I don’t need a thing.”
It’s interesting that contentment isn’t closely tied to how much or how little we have. Many people who are quite poor, by the world’s standard, find a great deal of satisfaction in life. Conversely, many people who are comparably quite wealthy never seem satisfied or content with anything. How is it that so many people who are so poor by the world’s standards seem so happy and content and so many people who have so much seem so miserable? It seems that maybe some have learned the prayerful lessons of the Psalms that help us rest in the God’s Providence. Others have not and no amount of money or possessions can ever satisfy the emptiness they feel.
Author Richard Foster offers some suggestions that can help us discover the discipline of simplicity and learn to pray the 23rd Psalm’s opening lines and mean them. Think about these practical ideas and discuss with your family what kind of difference applying even a few of these principles might have upon your story.
· Buy things for their usefulness rather than the status they represent.
· Reject anything that is producing an addiction in you.
· Develop the habit of giving things away.
· Learn to enjoy things without having to possess them.
· Avoiding buy now, pay later schemes.
· Shun anything that distracts you from seeking first the kingdom of God.
Further Reflection:
· Do any of the principles on that list speak to you? How might you apply them?
· In what ways might God be using our current struggles to help us learn some lessons about contentment?
· What would it mean to pray and really mean the words: “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want”?
Praying together:
Father, you have given us every good and perfect gift. You have created us by your grace and redeemed us by the sacrifice of your Son. You have provided daily bread, opportunities to serve in your kingdom, and satisfying relationships. Forgive us for when we take your good gifts for granted in the pursuit of more and more things. Help us to learn the important lesson of contentment. Thank you that we have everything we need in you. Amen.
Looking ahead:
We hope you’ll join us for worship on Sunday as we continue this study on the 23rd Psalm titled: Following the Good Shepherd in Tumultuous Times, considering how God can restore our souls. Please pray for our church’s leadership as we make decisions regarding the timing of our re-launch of in-person services. If you are feeling the need for face-to-face contact and want to be a part of our pre-re-launch services, please call the church office at 956-968-9585 and we will do our best to accommodate you.