Lack, Need or Want?

Hello People

How are you doing?

How was your week?

Did anything interesting happen?

The design of this blog has been changed, do you like it?

Last week, we started looking at the first phrase in Psalm 23, affirmed who the shepherd is and what the job of a shepherd entails.

Today, we will be looking at the entire sentence in Psalm 23:1 from 4 versions: 

"The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing." 

New International Version

"The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need." 

New Living Translation

"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want." 

King James Version

"You, LORD, are my shepherd. I will never be in need."

 Contemporary English Version

Have you checked the verse above in your own bible version?

What does it say?

Let us look at a few definitions now. Shall we?

Lack: (n) means a state of being without or not having enough of something.

          (v) means be without or deficient in.

Need: (v) means require (something) because it is essential or very important rather than just desirable. 

Want: (v) means have a desire to possess or do (something); wish for.

Going by the definitions above, we can say that the shepherd ensures that we have enough of things and are deficient of nothing. He also ensures that we have things that are essential and very important. He provides our desires and wishes. 

Imagine a parent sitting in their living room and having a nice dinner while his/her children are drooling and crying of hunger. Still imagine that the parent tells his/her kids, "Our neighbour Mrs A will soon finish making dinner. Go over there to beg in 30 minutes when her meal is ready. She will give you because you are children but let me just finish this meal in peace because I am an adult and I should not beg". This is not even a normal story, right? 

Ideally, we know that the parent will ensure that the children eat all they can from that meal he/she provided before that parent will have their own dinner. If it comes to it, the parent will also prefer to go themselves to beg the neighbour for dinner, get the pass downs and yaps than allow their children to be subjected to that too, right?

Same with the shepherd, He always ensures that the sheep is fully satisfied.

The beauty about this whole scenario is that our shepherd lives in abundance and He also expects that His children live the same way.

They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,

And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. 

Psalm 36: 8 (New King James Version)

Hence, flowing from what is His, his sheep will not require anything.

In summary, our shepherd intends to meet our lack, needs and wants.

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him."

1 John 5: 14-15 (New International Version)

Reading the verse above, now take the word anything to literally mean anything. This includes direction, good friends, an (or some) extra zero(s) behind the digits of your bank account or investments, a beautiful house, a wonderful job, a successful business, a perfect car, a great husband or wife, amazing and obedient children, a better boss, a fantastic mentor, great employees... just anything. 

As you begin to enjoy the weekend, please drop your lack, want and needs at the foot of the shepherd.

You can be sure that He will meet your ANY needs.

Have a wonderful chilled weekend.

Filled with loads of love, hugs and kisses.

Miss Onakz...