ABOUT 5 MINUTES TO READ.
Am I a fraud? This week I have been working on a sermon titled, “God Nots—What We Don’t Have in Christ.” Basically, it focuses on three aspects in the life of a believer as outlined in Psalm 23. I Want Not, I Fear Not, I Fail Not. All of these “nots” are expressions of victory described by David.
Yet, this morning I reflected on the very first line of that Psalm, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Like a boulder dropping on my head the realization came to me, “But I DO want!” In fact, there are so many things I want in my life that I do not have. The present circumstances of my life present me with the fact that there is one thing I want in life more than anything else. In fact, the present need in my life is almost suffocating.
So, am I a fraud. Can I preach this text when it obviously does not reflect the present state of my life? In fact, anybody that has a prayer list, has a “want” list. My prayer list is long. I spend an enormous amount of time every day telling God what I want.
Now, don’t misunderstand. My prayer list is not like my childhood letters to Santa. I don’t want “stuff.” My wants are more real, and even raw, than that. My wants are for the healing of others. My wants are for the salvation of others. My wants are for the welfare of my family. My wants are for my own life—that I would be a genuine, fully devoted disciple of the Lord Jesus. My wants are burdens that seem to be like the weight of the world upon my shoulders.
David declares, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Was David also a fraud? Just a few Psalms before David bemoans his situation saying, “Lord, my God, I seek refuge in you; save me from all my pursuers and rescue me, or they will tear me like a lion, ripping me apart with no one to rescue me!”
Sounds like David definitely “wanted” something from God. In fact, many of the Psalms are the cries of righteous men who wanted God to deliver them. The Bible is full of people in God’s family that had a “want” of one kind or another. So, how in the world could David say, “I shall not want.”
The answer is a matter of “time.” The reason so many believers—myself included—do not live more victorious lives is because our Bible is “too short.” Yes, “too short!” Our perspective is too narrow. Our outlook is “too dusty.” We were formed “out of the dust of the earth” (Gen. 2:7) and we have been “stuck in the mud ever since.”
The solutions to our situations, the deliverance from our dilemmas, do not ultimately take place in this world. Yes, God does indeed give us comfort, solace, even short-term solutions to our everyday problems. But . . . and this is a key element to understanding what David meant, behind every victory in the war of this life is another battle. We cannot escape the pain of this life, the want of this life, while we are in this life. We need a “taller Bible” that can see above the obstacles and difficulties of the rough terrain of this life, and see the glories of heaven that await us.
David says as much in his conclusion to Psalm 23. In order to understand what it means to “want not” in verse 1 you must read carefully verse 6: “and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever!”
With a “tall” enough Bible, a believer can see that, no matter what circumstance he or she finds himself or herself in this life—and they can be the most horrible situations one can imagine—ultimately, God will overcome every need.
With a “tall” enough Bible, one can see over the circumstances of this life and see the beauties of heaven and see all that we do not have: “No Wants, No Fear, No Failure.”
Am I a fraud? This week I have been working on a sermon titled, “God Nots—What We Don’t Have in Christ.” Basically, it focuses on three aspects in the life of a believer as outlined in Psalm 23. I Want Not, I Fear Not, I Fail Not. All of these “nots” are expressions of victory described by David.
Yet, this morning I reflected on the very first line of that Psalm, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Like a boulder dropping on my head the realization came to me, “But I DO want!” In fact, there are so many things I want in my life that I do not have. The present circumstances of my life present me with the fact that there is one thing I want in life more than anything else. In fact, the present need in my life is almost suffocating.
So, am I a fraud. Can I preach this text when it obviously does not reflect the present state of my life? In fact, anybody that has a prayer list, has a “want” list. My prayer list is long. I spend an enormous amount of time every day telling God what I want.
Now, don’t misunderstand. My prayer list is not like my childhood letters to Santa. I don’t want “stuff.” My wants are more real, and even raw, than that. My wants are for the healing of others. My wants are for the salvation of others. My wants are for the welfare of my family. My wants are for my own life—that I would be a genuine, fully devoted disciple of the Lord Jesus. My wants are burdens that seem to be like the weight of the world upon my shoulders.
David declares, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Was David also a fraud? Just a few Psalms before David bemoans his situation saying, “Lord, my God, I seek refuge in you; save me from all my pursuers and rescue me, or they will tear me like a lion, ripping me apart with no one to rescue me!”
Sounds like David definitely “wanted” something from God. In fact, many of the Psalms are the cries of righteous men who wanted God to deliver them. The Bible is full of people in God’s family that had a “want” of one kind or another. So, how in the world could David say, “I shall not want.”
The answer is a matter of “time.” The reason so many believers—myself included—do not live more victorious lives is because our Bible is “too short.” Yes, “too short!” Our perspective is too narrow. Our outlook is “too dusty.” We were formed “out of the dust of the earth” (Gen. 2:7) and we have been “stuck in the mud ever since.”
The solutions to our situations, the deliverance from our dilemmas, do not ultimately take place in this world. Yes, God does indeed give us comfort, solace, even short-term solutions to our everyday problems. But . . . and this is a key element to understanding what David meant, behind every victory in the war of this life is another battle. We cannot escape the pain of this life, the want of this life, while we are in this life. We need a “taller Bible” that can see above the obstacles and difficulties of the rough terrain of this life, and see the glories of heaven that await us.
David says as much in his conclusion to Psalm 23. In order to understand what it means to “want not” in verse 1 you must read carefully verse 6: “and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever!”
With a “tall” enough Bible, a believer can see that, no matter what circumstance he or she finds himself or herself in this life—and they can be the most horrible situations one can imagine—ultimately, God will overcome every need.
With a “tall” enough Bible, one can see over the circumstances of this life and see the beauties of heaven and see all that we do not have: “No Wants, No Fear, No Failure.”
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