Christ’s abundant love meets our every need
by Kimberley Pfeiffer
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The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want (Psalm 23:1).
Do you ever think about why ‘I shall not want’ comes after ‘The Lord is my shepherd’?
Often when we think of Christ as our Good Shepherd, we imagine ourselves as his sheep. Maybe we are prone to getting into trouble or wandering off, and we remember Jesus, our shepherd, who guides and protects us, keeping us on a safe path. The Good Shepherd also provides for the sheep so that they lack nothing. In this prayer, we also receive the gift of contentment that we find in Christ, as we have discovered in several of our readings this week. Contentment in God is opened up for us in Christ.
In Christ, you are given a new life where you walk with God. What does this mean? It means that every morning as you rise, God’s blessings are made new. God is with you on the days you dread giving you courage; the days filled with sadness giving you hope; sounding the heavenly choir with you on the joyous days; and comforting you when you are grieved. God is faithful; he can do no other, and he wants to give you everything you need at the proper time. So, as you pray this psalm, give thanks to God for his goodness and mercy and his love that is always shining on you. Thanks be to God for all the gifts that come out of his abundant mercy: life, love, peace, courage, faithfulness and joy, to name a few. They certainly make any worldly wants seem pretty minor by comparison.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for opening up to us the abundance of your love in Christ. Send us your Spirit so that we can faithfully look to you when we find ourselves in want. Please send your Holy Spirit to help us when we are tempted to find satisfaction in worldly things. Help us to grow in your love so that we can share your gifts with those you have called us to love and serve. In Christ, our Lord, Amen.
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