Psalm 23:1–2 (ESV) — 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
NOTE: The obvious
and straightforward interpretation for David (the Psalmist) is that God takes
care of his needs. God will provide to the extent that David shall not want.
This is David's heart, although not always his action. In the story of
Bathsheba, he wanted something he did not have, and yet something that he had
in abundance. David struggled, just like us. But he also knew, that when he was
seeking God, he was truly satisfied. God met his needs. He only needed to
trust. This is a common them in the Psalms, the necessity of trust. In this
Psalm, the word "shepherd" aptly defines how our trust should look.
The sheep trusted the shepherd to protects, to take them to fields with food,
to take them to water, and to take them to shady areas to relax. They did not
need to plan or worry. They could trust their shepherd. But God has also given
us a mind and more insight than sheep. God does expect us to act prudently with
the information he provides. How much do we trust? How much do we act? Do we do
both? And what does that really look like in our soul? I think
"trust" should overwhelm prudence in our manner of life, but not
replace prudence and common sense. And in this sense, prayer can be helpful to
make that distinction.
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