“...I shall not want...” Psalms 23

What do we hope for? What are the deepest desires of our hearts? Scripture tells us to delight in the Lord and He will grant us the desires of our hearts, but how often do we find ourselves nagging God like a child in a toy store? Especially now that the holiday season is upon us, it is important to reexamine what it is we are truly thankful for and what the Christmas celebration reminds us about the endless love of our Lord.

The reading from Isaiah praises God for all that He has provided. The imagery closely resembles that of a family Christmas feast, in which there is laughter, joy, thanksgiving, and of course great food and wine. We are reminded in these readings that Advent is a time of giving thanks to God, but more importantly a time of joyful anticipation for the coming of our Savior. However, on December 26th something changes and we begin to want again. Why is it that, though we are already provided for, we still desire more?

Psalm 23 is one of my favorite psalms because it presents one of the most beautiful depictions of God’s love and provision. David declares his joyful trust in the Lord by saying, “I shall not want.” This does not mean that our selfish temptations disappear. Rather, as we grow closer to God, we begin to desire what He desires. It is then that the desires of our hearts are granted. Furthermore, as we realize God’s immense provision in our lives, we choose not to honor the desires of our flesh, but exactly that which we were intended for.

I spent this past summer in the Dominican Republic, and while there learned a great deal about the necessities of life. This is a poem that I wrote while I was there.

I am Walking
I am walking,
No one before me, no one behind.
From the faults of my past,
To the hope for my future.
The dragonflies and butterflies, they guide me.
The wind, she speaks to me,
Revealing secrets of the land unspoken.
She tells me that there is no past,
She tells me there’s no future.
All we need is all we’re given,
Right before our eyes.
No borders, disease, no cause for war,
These are our creations.
Alas! How perfect, constant and undiscovered;
This land it tells no time.
All we need is all we’re given,
This life, this moment, it lasts forever.