REFLECTIONS ON THE 23rd PSALM: A psalm about revival Part 4
Psalms 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
The Lord is my Shepherd, and most significantly, He is our provider. Many a believer has quoted this first verse of the Psalm, enthusiastically declaring the promise, "I shall not want." Want, as it's depicted in many translations, denotes all forms of lack, failure, need and being without, i.e. poverty.
I think one of the most disabling feelings a human can undergo is the sensation that comes from suffering lack. Psalms 23, states early on, that the Shepherd makes sure we'll have no need, lack, poverty or failure, of any kind. But, that's a pretty big claim, and, most certainly, a lot of folks would challenge it, or at least say, this promise is too good to be true. Some may argue, then, "Why are there so many needy people? These comments are understandable but must be contested. You see, our understanding of the Shepherd's provision, must be judged against the full context of what the Bible says. Furthermore, many folks have a twisted understanding of His nature and character. Their wrong ideas, born out of entitlement attitudes, have fostered passivity and expectations that make it seem like God owes us everything. They don't think that they must take any responsibility in the faith.
Yes, God is our provider and this promise is without question, true. But may I remind you that for every promise God has made, there are conditions for its fulfillment. In the case of promising that His sheep will not want, there are several attitudes of heart that must first be in place.
Ps. 34:8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. 9 O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. 10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. 11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
#1. To experience the Provision of the Good Shepherd you must trust Him to provide.
The flock followed their shepherd because they trusted Him and knew His voice. So it is with our Lord!
#2. To experience the Provision of the Lord one must embrace the correct application of the attitude of Fearing the Lord. There is no want to them that fear Him. Regrettably, the message of the fear of the Lord is not understood and even less taught. Here's a simple definition for the fear of the Lord based on the breadth of the Hebrew and Greek words that talk about it. "The Fear of the Lord is: A conscious, intentional, honor, awe or respect of God’s awesomeness and character that makes you hesitate cautiously, so to restrain behavior thereby avoiding harmful consequences and broken spiritual relationship. It is often accompanied by feelings of inward trembling."
3. To experience the provision of the Lord, you must not be lazy, or what the Scriptures identify as slothfulness. Lack overtakes the slothful, sleepy soul like an armed warrior. One of the chief characteristics of the End Times person is spiritual slumber due to slothfulness.
Prov. 6:10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: 11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man. (Pro. 24:30-34; Prov. 19:15)
4. To experience the Lord's provision you must learn to be intentional in your thinking. Irresponsible thought processes produce hasty actions and always end in want, of all types.
Prov. 21:5 The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want.
5. To experience the provision of the Lord you must be a discerning and humble giver. If you take advantage of the weak and unfortunate, you'll eventually experience lack. (Prov. 22:16)
6. One of the most unique ways that God provides, is revealed in how He provides vision for us. This is most evident in Genesis 22. Jehovah- Jireh sees our real needs, while at the same time showing us the way that He'll provide. On more occasions than I'd like to recount, I've heard folks declare that the Lord is Jehovah Jireh, our Provider, while they are ignorant to the context of what this aspect of His character means. Moreover, scholars differ widely on the rendering of Gen. 22:14 naming God as Jehovah-Jireh. The meaning of this name is much more than a general idea of provision. The Hebrew infers that He is the Lord who provides us vision, while at the same time provides for the necessities of life, specifically through the sacrificial ram, symbolic of Jesus.
So, in a nutshell, to experience the Lord's provision (I shall not want), one must trust God, fear God, have a good work ethic, stay awake, be a discerning, humble giver and realize He is the Lord who gives you vision to recognize how He will provide. He is the Lord our Shepherd/ provider.
