The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He
makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads
me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul.
He guides me in the paths of righteousness for
his namesake. Even though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil,
for you are with me. Your rod and your staff,
they comfort me. You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies. You have anointed
my head with oil. My cup overflows. Surely, goodness
and loving kindness will follow me all the days
of my life, and I will dwell in the house of
the Lord forever. Let's go to the Lord in prayer.
Father, we come to you this Lord's Day. Father,
as we approach your word, we recognize, Lord,
that if you do not bless it, that if your spirit
does not work in our hearts and our minds and
accompany the word of God, that it will be of
no benefit to us. Lord, we ask today that you
would bless the ministry of your word. to the
sanctification, the edification, the comfort,
the encouragement and the strengthening of the
believer present. But Lord, we also ask that
you would bless your word in such a way to convert
men and to bring them to Christ, to open their
eyes, to regenerate their hearts. Father, we
ask for your spirit and his presence to be among
us, Lord. Be with each of us at this time. Help
us to understand these grand and these glorious
truths that are meant for our good, that are
meant for our comfort. Lord, that are meant to
help us to understand who you are. We ask these
things in Christ's name. Amen. You may be seated.
If we think about the unbelieving world and culture
around us that exists apart from the church of
Jesus Christ and apart from Christians, surely
one of the things that we would come to think
about the world and the culture is that They
don't want a shepherd, but they surely want to
be shepherded. And what I mean by that is this.
The world doesn't want a shepherd who tells them
what to do, where to go, what to be, and what
they will possess. Who they ought to be. But
the world and the culture does want the benefits.
of being shepherded. Meaning, they want possessions.
They want provision. They want the benefits and
they want the blessings of being shepherded.
They want somebody to comfort them. They want
somebody to care for them. They want somebody
to guide them and watch them in their lives.
All the while, they cast off, they reject, and
they deny the God who could be their shepherd.
And they seek after those benefits and those
blessings and their own strength and carnality
and their own power and their own striving and
their own effort so that they end up never being
content. never being satisfied, never enjoying
and being satisfied with the things they lay
hold of. The world rejects the great shepherd
of the sheep, the Lord Jesus Christ. The church,
on the other hand, and believers, are those who
revel, are those who glory in the reality. that
we are not our own. We glory in the fact that
we have a shepherd who provides for us, who guides
us and directs us, who cares for us, who leads
us and watches over our lives. The church and
believers are those who revel in the reality
That they have a God who superintends, who watches
over, protects, and guides their lives and their
souls for their good, but also for his glory.
Today, we see that David derives great comfort
and confidence. From this reality. And he does
in fact. Just glory in the fact. That God is
his shepherd. We read. In verse 1 of Psalm 23.
The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He
makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads
me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul.
He guides me in the paths of righteousness for
His namesake. Today we're going to focus on the
words, I shall not want. We're going to consider
the fact that this is a conclusion that David
has drawn. from the fact that God is his shepherd,
but we're also going to consider the meaning
of this conclusion, I shall not want. Now before
we jump into the text, I want to clarify once
again, the promises in Psalm 23 are for those
who know the Lord Jesus Christ by faith and repentance.
These are Christian promises. If you're here
today, and you're going to sit under the preaching
of the Word, and you don't know the Lord Jesus
Christ by faith and repentance, and you have
not been born again, you cannot claim the promises
of Psalm 23 for yourself. You cannot come to
Psalm 23 and say, the Lord is my shepherd. You
have no right to do that. It is of no benefit
or use for you to do that. Only those who know
the Lord Jesus Christ, by faith and repentance,
and those who are in Christ, a part of the new
covenant, can claim, the glorious realities of
Psalm 23, and they can lay hold of the promises
that are given to us. So first, the conclusion
that David draws from the reality that the Lord
is his shepherd. Now, the words, I shall not
want, consider the text. Just verse 1. It's almost
like this phrase is just, Stuck in there. There's
no conjunction. There's no transition. The Lord
is my shepherd. I shall not want. What is it
related to? What's it based off of? What is the
nature of this statement, I shall not want? It's
an inference. It's a conclusion. It's a deduction
on David's part based on the reality that the
Lord is in fact his shepherd. David concludes
with regards to his life that he will not lack
because Yahweh is his God. Because Yahweh is...
his shepherd. Because this is true of God, David
comes to the conclusion that this must be true
of me. Because I have, by grace, found myself
to be in his flock, to be a sheep under his care,
I will not lack. I shall not want. So it's based
off of, more specifically, his knowledge that
the Lord is his shepherd. Capital L, capital
O, capital R, capital D. And everything that
we considered last week. The reality that the
name, the Lord, conveys the fact that it is the
sovereign, self -existent, all -sufficient God.
who is covenantal and redemptive in his treatment
of his people. David knows this fact. He understands
this with his mind. But it's also based on the
fact that David knew the history of his nation.
He knew the history of Israel. And he knew his
ancestors. He knew Jacob. He was called Israel.
Turn with me to Genesis chapter 48 very briefly.
David's actually not the first person to say
the Lord is my shepherd. Jacob or Israel, the
patriarch, says essentially the same thing. We
read, when Jacob or Israel is blessing, he's
declaring blessing. We read these words in verse
15 of Genesis 48. He blessed Joseph. And he said,
the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac
walked. The God who has been my shepherd all
my life to this day. The angel who has redeemed
me from all evil. Bless the labs. And may my
name live on in them. And the names of my fathers
Abraham and Isaac. And may they grow into a multitude
in the midst of the earth. Now the setting of
this is that Jacob is at the end of his life.
He's old. He's about to die. And he's claiming
that God has shepherded him all the way into
his old age. Now, what would make Jacob or Israel
be able to say that God is his shepherd? Think
about his situation. Think about his circumstances
over the years. Think about the fact that he
lost. His beloved son, Joseph. And then he's
given his beloved son back. He thought that he
was gone. He thought that he was dead. He thought
that he was no more. And then the Lord in his
grace and then the Lord in his mercy brings him
to Joseph. God is good. God is faithful. The
Lord guided his path as the Lord guided Joseph's
path. But we also see that there was a terrible
famine in the land, wasn't there, brothers and
sisters? And that his whole household almost
died and almost perished. If it was not for the
Lord's great mercy and his great provision and
his great kindness, Jacob's household would not
have survived. He rescued, he delivered his family,
his sons. He preserved them. God was good and
God was faithful. Brothers and sisters, David
knew the life of Jacob. David understood how
the Lord worked in Jacob's life. He knew how
God was faithful to him and how he has preserved
his people throughout the ages. He knew how God
had provided faithfully in those situations out
of his goodness and out of his faithful character.
David knew and understood these things. But it
wasn't just that he understood and knew Israel
or Jacob. The man, he knew the history of the
nation of Israel. Did he not? Turn with me to
Exodus chapter 16. David, as the king of Israel,
surely loved to study the great works and the
great deeds of God throughout the history of
his covenant people. I am sure that David was
a church history buff par excellence. Patriarchs?
And he knew where he came from because that is
where God's hand had been working throughout
the years, throughout the ages. We read in Exodus
chapter 16, verse 18, and this is just following
the Exodus. Remember the Lord has redeemed the
nation, brought them up out of bondage. act of
God in the old covenant is the redemption of
his people out of Egypt and out of slavery, bringing
them out to worship him. And we read in chapter
16, verse 18, these words. When they measured
it with an omer, he who had gathered much had
no excess, and he who had gathered little had
no lack. Every man gathered as much as he should
eat. Were there times when Israel thought in
unbelief and grumbling and moaning and groaning
that they were going to starve to death? Yes,
in their minds, in their unbelieving hearts,
there certainly was. But, brothers and sisters,
David recognized that the Lord always provided
for the nation of Israel, did he not? What did
He give the nation of Israel? He gave them water
to drink. He gave them manna, bread from heaven,
to eat and make their bellies full. He gave them
water out of the rock. And then, we see even
in the book of Deuteronomy. If you would, turn
there with me. In Deuteronomy chapter 2. That
the Lord's provision was not just limited to
food and drink in the nation of Israel. That
the Lord was gracious and generous to them in
many, many ways. We read when Moses is recounting
the history of Israel. Listen to this in chapter
2 of Deuteronomy, verse 8. He says, So we passed
beyond our brothers, the sons of... I apologize.
Verse 7. For the Lord your God has blessed you
in all that you have done. He has known your
wanderings through this great wilderness. These
40 years the Lord your God has been with you.
You have not lacked a thing. They did not want.
did not lack anything because God was with them
and God provided for them. Moses is recognizing
this, brothers and sisters. And then he even
goes on and says the same will be true when you
enter into the new land. We read in chapter 8.
In chapter 8 of Deuteronomy, verse 9. A land
where you will eat food without scarcity. And
which you will not lack anything. A land whose
stones are iron. And out of whose hills you can
dig copper. We read back in verse 3. He humbled
you and let you be hungry. And fed you with manna
which you did not know. Nor did your fathers
know. that he might make you understand that
man does not live by bread alone, but man lives
by everything that proceeds from the mouth of
the Lord. Verse 4, Your clothing did not wear
out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty
years. So think about the Lord's great and mighty
provision. And the life of the nation of Israel.
He provides them with food and drink. Manna and
water. He's with them. He guides them. He directs
them. He promises the same for the promised land.
But his provision is more clearly seen. In the
supernatural sense. In that their clothing. And
their sandals brothers and sisters. Did not.
They did not wear out because the Lord provided
for them. Their ankles didn't swear when they
walked around in circles in the wilderness over
and over and over. The Lord provided for them
in every way as his people, as his covenant people.
David understood. And David knew the Lord's gracious
provision in the life of Israel. But I think
even more than that, David knew firsthand the
Lord's provision in his own life, in his own
situation. Think about all the different and
the various situations that David was in when
he was running from King Saul. When he was fighting
the Philistines. When he was dealing with Absalom
in the overthrow of the kingdom. When he was
on the run. Think about all of those situations
David was always provided for. In Psalms, just
a little bit further, in Psalm 37, when David
is an old man, he says this. In verse 25, I have
been young, and now I am old. Yet I have not
seen the righteous forsaken, or his descendants
begging bread. All day long, verse 26, he is
gracious and wins, and his descendants are a
blessing. That was David speaking from personal
experience and observation in the life of the
godly, in the life of God's people, in the life
of those who fear the Lord. We'll see in Psalm
34 that it's even more clear after a few minutes
when we get to that text. David knows the Lord's
character and the Lord's dealings with his people.
Throughout the ages, David knows the Lord's character
and the Lord's dealings with him personally.
Does he not, brothers and sisters? And it's based
on these realities, who God is as a revealed
God, and how God acts as a covenant -keeping,
redemptive God towards his people, that David
is able to conclude in his own life, I shall
not want. He can look at who God is and how God
treats his people as he has been revealed and
conclude in his own life that he won't lack a
thing. That God will in fact provide him with
everything that is good and necessary for his
life and his soul. Immediately, brothers and
sisters, we find... A straightforward lesson
in our life from this text. David's knowledge
of God enables him to make certain conclusions
about his life, his situation, and his circumstances
because he understands who the Lord is. And we
find that he can derive comfort and confidence.
And strength and boldness and peace from the
knowledge that he possesses of who God is and
how God treats his people. This knowledge that
David has is appropriated into his own life by
faith. He knows these things about God and he
believes these things about God. He knows how
God treats his people and he believes these things
about how God treats his people. Treats his people.
And that truth. Enters into his mind. And that
truth enters into his heart. And it affects his
emotions. And his longings and his desires. And
he lives in light of that truth. Brothers and
sisters. The knowledge of God. Is not irrelevant.
For your life. The knowledge of God and who He
is and how He treats His people and how He deals
with His covenant people is not irrelevant, insignificant,
or unimportant, or just for the nerdy theology
guys. The most relevant, the most applicable
knowledge. and reality for your life as a believer
is to know who God is and to know how He faithfully
treats His people. This and this alone is able
to give you joy and contentment and peace and
satisfaction in your own soul and your own life.
Have you been guilty? Of writing off theology.
Of writing off the knowledge of the living God.
That's not for me. Brothers and sisters, hear
me out. In Psalm 23, David is doing theology.
In Psalm 23, David's knowledge of God is affecting
David's comfort in life. David's peace. his security,
his hope, his confidence in life. Why? Because
he's believing the knowledge which he possesses.
Theology and the knowledge of God is ultimately
applicable, brothers and sisters. When it is
rightly understood and rightly believed, it transforms
our hearts, our minds, and our affections. and
it affects and directs our living. Now, knowing
this, we can also see how certain individuals
have defective knowledge of God or defective
theology. And I dare say that each one of us
who truly knows the Lord Jesus Christ has a degree.
Of defective theology. And defective knowledge
of the Lord. Why do I say that? Because we understand
and grasp who God is. We have knowledge about
his character, his being. Who he is and what
he's like. His existence, his eternality, his
infinity. the attributes of God, and we can learn
and study about those things and leave unaffected
by those things. We don't derive comfort, joy,
peace, hope, confidence, strength, and boldness
from those realities. That's defective theology,
brothers and sisters. That's defective knowledge
of God. It's knowledge that stays in the head
and produces no comfort in the heart. It's knowledge
that stays in the mind and produces no boldness
or confidence in one's life. True experiential
Christianity and true understanding Of the Lord.
Always impacts the heart. And the affections.
And the living of the person. I would much prefer.
An individual who knows less about God. Less
of his attributes. Who has less knowledge of
God. Yet that knowledge and that theology is
applied to the heart. That knowledge affects
their emotions and their view of the world. It
changes them. The true measure of godliness,
we could say, is not the amount of knowledge
we have about God and His dealings with men.
The true measure of godliness in the life of
a believer, brothers and sisters, is that knowledge.
Is that doctrine, is that theology affecting
our hearts and changing who we are in the inner
man? Is it affecting us, brothers and sisters?
That's true understanding of the Lord and of
His dealings with men. And ultimately, brothers
and sisters, that's the only way we will persevere.
and we will be preserved through hardship, trial,
and sufferings in our lives. It's by our knowledge
of the Lord and His faithfulness. It's the only
way that we persevere in the Christian faith,
believing these realities, and being affected,
and sustained, and being given joy and hope and
peace. As a result of those truths and those
realities. So we see this conclusion. That David
draws from the reality that God is his shepherd.
The Lord is his shepherd. We find a great deal
of lessons in those. The second thing that we
have to consider this morning. Is the meaning
of this conclusion. That David. draws from that
fact. And David actually illustrates the meaning
of this statement, I shall not want, in verses
2 through 3. In verses 2 through 3, we read these
words. He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores
my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness.
For his namesake. Two through three. Are explaining
the phrase. I shall not want. So the Lord's leading.
The Lord's guiding. The Lord's directing. Is
an illustration. Of the Lord's provision. And
how he cares. For his people. When he says, I
shall not want, that's a negative statement.
It's a denial that certain things will not be
true of him. But what we find in verses 2 -3
is that he beautifully illustrates in a positive
manner what will be true of God's people. What
will be true of the sheep in God's flock. How
God will. provide for his people. It's a positive
statement of the Lord's provision and the Lord's
care for his people. Now, let me make several
observations about this provision in verses 2
through 3. Observe first in verse 2 the Lord's
physical or natural provision of his people.
We see this and it says that He makes me lie
down in green pastures. That's physical. Natural
realities. The Lord, a shepherd, brings his sheep
into green pastures where they can rest, where
they can eat, where they can graze. Then we find,
in the second part of verse 2, beside quiet waters.
Again, another physical reality. A natural reality.
So the Lord's provision has as its scope not
just or simply spiritual realities, but the Lord's
provision for his people includes natural and
physical realities in their lives. Then we see
in verse 3 the Lord's provision with regards
to spiritual realities. He restores my soul.
He switches from physical things to the soul,
the inner man, the inner life, spiritual truths,
spiritual realities. He guides me in paths of
righteousness. Again, spiritual realities. So
immediately, we see that the Lord's provision
is physical and spiritual in the life of His
people. But also take note, And this may seem
or appear obvious in the text, but we need to
be reminded of it. In this text, the Lord is
the provider. He is the one making the provision.
He's leading, guiding, and directing. That means
the provision is as He sees fit. He determines
and he defines what the sheep need, where the
sheep need to go, and what they need in their
lives. Oftentimes when we come to this text,
I think we get the picture of a flock or a herd
of sheep going a flock, walking around, and the
shepherd walking behind the sheep, kind of managing
the sheep. making sure they don't go off a cliff,
staying behind them, making sure they go in the
general direction. But the picture presented
in Psalm 23 is not that at all, is it, brothers
and sisters? Most likely, it's picturing a shepherd
within the flock, but at the head of the flock,
still having sheep around him, but he is leading
them exactly where they need to go. He is directing
them. purposefully and intentionally to the exact
pasture they need. The Lord leads, guides, and
directs. The sheep do not determine or define
which pasture they will bed in that night. The
sheep do not determine what quiet or still water
they will sip from that night. Who is it that
determines the provision? It's the shepherd,
brothers and sisters. That's something for us
to understand and something for us to think.
And we'll come back to that as well. The Lord
is the provider. But that's not a bad thing,
is it, brothers and sisters? It's not a bad thing
to be a sheep in the flock of God. It's a very
good thing to be a sheep in the flock of the
living God. And the reason I say that is because
in this text we find the shepherd leading, guiding,
and directing with the welfare and the good,
with the benefit of... the flock or the sheep
in mind. He's not bringing them to quiet waters
because he's manipulative, because he wants to
play a joke on them. He doesn't lead them in
paths of righteousness for some morbid self -righteous
reason. He's not a narcissistic old man sitting
in the clouds that's playing jokes on little
figurines, brothers and sisters. This text presents
the shepherd as a loving, caring, kind shepherd
who has affectionate love and care for those
he is leading, guiding, and directing. He does
so with the good of his people in mind. But we
also see that there is a more supreme reference
point than simply the good of the sheep. That's
one reference point. But there's a more supreme
reference point with which the shepherd guides
and directs his sheep. And what is that reference
point? For his name's sake. The Lord provides
his people for his people in a manner, in a way,
that is always good for them. but in a way that
is always glorifying and exalting of himself.
That's what we see in this text. A shepherd leading
and guiding for the good of the sheep, but a
shepherd leading and guiding for the glory of
his own name. That means the provision will be
in accordance with the good of the sheep and
the glory of the shepherd. And we see that throughout
this text. So as we consider the overall picture
of this provision, what is the portrait that
is painted? What's the picture of the illustration
that's laid before us? The picture that's given
to us is perfect, comprehensive, divine, loving
provision and care from the Lord. for the good
of the people, and for the glory of God's name.
I want us to focus on the word perfect provision
in that text, or in that summary. The Lord's
provision, because he is the Lord, is always
perfect. It's never okay. It's never the best.
It could be better, but no, the Lord's provision
is always perfect because the Lord is sovereign
and the Lord is faithful. The Lord is holy. He's
omniscient and He is omnipotent. So in the life
of God's people, The provision of the living
God is always perfect provision in their life,
no matter what we think. No matter how we feel
about it, it's always provision which is perfect.
We read in Psalm 34, verses 9 -10, or verses
8 -10. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.
How blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints. For to those
who fear him, there is no want. The young lions
do lack and suffer hunger. But those who seek
the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing.
The Lord perfectly provides every good and necessary
thing in the life of His flock and the life of
His people. Now this is a promise, brothers and
sisters, for every single sheep. This is a divine
promise of God for the believer in Christ. That
He will provide for you in your life. This is
not a promise for the unbeliever. The Lord does
not guide and direct the unbelieving man and
the unbelieving woman. The Lord does not lead
and direct the unbelieving man and the unbelieving
woman by quiet waters. You know what the Psalms
say? You know who the Psalms says the wicked
man will be shepherded by? Sheol. Death will
shepherd the wicked man. All those good things
and all those hard things and all those bad things,
every pasture does not work for the good of the
unbelieving man and the unbelieving woman. Those
are promises for the people of God. Those are
promises for those who have a true, living, justifying,
saving faith in the Good Shepherd who came back
from the dead. So again, if you are here today
and you don't know Christ, and you hear Psalm
23, and you don't know Christ, you live a rebellious,
hellion life. You live in opposition. to the
law of God, and you transgress His law day in
and day out. You never think about the living
God. You have no penance in your heart. And you
have no faith in your heart. These are not promises
for you. You cannot claim that the living God
is your good shepherd, your divine shepherd.
But, the Bible makes clear. that if that person
will trust in Jesus Christ, the Lamb slain before
the foundation of the world, if that person will
forsake their sins, forsake their unrighteousness,
and forsake their transgressions, And they will
believe and cast themselves at the feet of the
Lord Jesus Christ. And they believe in His life
and His death and His resurrection. And say,
you are the good shepherd. I am a sheep. I know
my need. I know my waywardness. You are good.
I am bad. You are faithful. I am unfaithful.
If the unbelieving man comes to that point in
their life, then every single blessed... promise
and reality of Psalm 23 will be yours. Wholeheartedly.
Every single part of it. Every single piece of
it. But if you don't want to be a sheep, if you
don't want to be a part of his flock, and you
would prefer to be a robber or a wolf outside
of the flock of God, chasing after your pleasures
and the delights of life, your vain ambition
in life, your vain purposes, your own reputation,
whatever it might be, then these promises are
not yours. You do not have eternal life and everlasting
life with the Lord. You do not know Him by faith
and repentance. You do not have a new nature
in Christ. You have no promise of the new heavens
and the new earth. Only judgment and condemnation
are ahead of you. But, if you believe in the
Lord Jesus Christ, every glorious truth, every
glorious reality of Psalm 23, the comfort, the
peace, the leading, the guiding, the directing,
the provision, the abundant blessing, the assurance
of heart, Oh, the Lord will give every single
one of those things to you, unbeliever. He will
work each one of those into your life. He will
change you. He will give you His Holy Spirit
and make you a new creature in Christ. And He
will set His love upon you because of His grace
and His mercy in the Lord Jesus Christ. I urge
you and I plead you with you to look to the cross.
Look to the blessed Son of God that took on flesh
and dwelt among us, that died as a lamb slain
before the foundation of the world. Are you in
the flock of God? Are you one of His sheep? Are
these blessings yours? Is Christ yours? Does
He provide? For you. As. Described in this text.
Are you able to say. Regardless of the situation.
I. Shall. Not. Want. Because the Lord. Himself.
Is. Your. Shepherd. Now. If you're here today.
And you are a sheep of God. And you claim. This.
and these promises of Psalm 23, my exhortation
and my encouragement for you believers is this.
You cannot claim the Lord as shepherd and deny
the provision of the shepherd. If you are a believer
and you claim the promise of Psalm 23, then you
have to accept the provision of God that He sees
fit to give you in your life. You can't say,
well, God's not providing for me, but God is
my shepherd. Yes, the Lord is my shepherd. Yes,
He is Yahweh. Yes, He is sovereign. He is a self
-existent, all -sufficient God. He knows all,
and He brings about all. He sustains all. He
is good, and He is faithful. but He can't provide
for me. That's not good enough. I don't appreciate
that provision. That's not right, Lord. That's
not how it ought to be. If we claim the promise
of Psalm 23, we must accept the provision of
the Lord as He promised. sees fit. After all,
it's perfect provision, right? We can't separate
the shepherd from his shepherding in the life
of his people. We can't separate God, the Lord,
from his provision in the life of his covenant
people. Will he fail? Will he err? Will he make
mistakes? Is he going to have the staff and the
rod one day and then let it down and be no good
the next? No, brothers and sisters. The shepherd
is perfect. He is sovereign. He is holy. He is
good. His provision is just as perfect, just
as holy, and just as good as the shepherd himself.
Now, this is important because that means the
Lord himself defines and determines what your
provision is and what my provision is in life.
We tend to have a biased or a skewed view of
what good and necessary really is. for our own
lives. Do you think that you have a skewed view
of what is necessary in your life? Do you think
that there's the possibility that you have an
over -inflated view of yourself and what you
deserve in life? What ought to be true of you
and your life and your situation? Brothers and
sisters, every... single one of us have an over
-inflated view of what is good and what is necessary
in our lives and for our souls. Do you know why?
Because every single one of us has a remnant
of sin that makes us see ourselves much, much
better than we actually are. We think this ought
to be true of us. We think that ought not to
be true of us. Sin warps our view of ourselves,
our view of what is good for us. Sin warps and
twists our desires and our longings and what
we want in life, what we think is right. and
what we think is wrong, but praise be to God,
the sheep don't lead the shepherd around. This
is why it's so good to be a sheep in God's flock.
Because even when you don't know what is good
for you, even when you don't know what you really
truly need in your life, The sovereign shepherd
of heaven knows perfectly what you need in your
life. He knows perfectly what you need to experience,
what you need to endure, what you need to possess,
and what you need to enjoy in your own soul.
He will not fail and he will not falter. So what
do we do with desires? with longings for things
that we think are good and we think are necessary
in our lives. I don't think that this is wrong.
I don't think that this is sinful. What do we
do with those desires when we are not yet in
possession of them or enjoying them in our lives
or our souls? Well, there's a few options. we
can conclude that we will, one, either come into
possession of it at the appropriate time as the
Lord sees fit. Two, it is not fitting or good
for our lives, whether that be now or in the
future. Or three, our desire and our longing
is twisted because of sin. This is why we must
always return to the Word of God. We must always
come back to the Word to evaluate our longings,
our desires, what is good, what is necessary,
who the Lord is, and how He relates to His covenant.
Can you say believer? And you ought to be able
to say. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not.