Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - What Do You Really Want? | The Writings | Psalm 23

Episode Date: January 31, 2024

As you might know, Psalm 23 begins with, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." Does that seem easier said than done? What if you really want your kids to be healthy or have a new job or a bigger house? In today's episode, Jensen jumps into Psalm 23 to discuss what's at the heart of your wants. Read the Bible with us in 2024! This year, we’re tackling a group of Old Testament books traditionally known as “The Writings”— Psalms, Chronicles, Proverbs, Daniel, Ruth and more! Download your reading plan now. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it so that others can find it, too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter@TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passages: Psalm 23 Resources: Psalm 23 by Joshua Sherman

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life. And the time it takes to get to work. I'm Jensen Holt McNair. What do you want? Really? Right now, think about it. What are you wanting? Do you want food? Do you want more sleep? A hot cup of coffee? A better job, obedient children? Maybe you want more friends, a spouse. Maybe it's healing for your body or for a relationship. Maybe you want more money. or better clothes or a cleaner, bigger, better organized house. I'm sure it isn't hard to come up with a whole big long list of things you want, is it? It definitely isn't for me.

I want my husband to be done with residency so we can have more time with him. I want my parents to move closer to me. Sorry, Mom. I want my daughter to sleep through the night. I want my son to want to listen to me. I want a cute bag I've been looking at for a while now. I want to go on vacation to take a break. I want someone else to clean the dishes I left in the sink this morning. I want a comfy chair to sit on in this coffee shop. I want a lot of things, big and small. Sometimes what I want is selfish and misguided. Sometimes it isn't. But I want something every second of every day. And oftentimes when I don't get what I want, I get a little cranky. Or I get really sad. or I get frustrated with God.

Why isn't he giving me this thing that I want? It would fix so many things. And then I read Psalm 23. And the first line says, The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. Other translations say, I lack for nothing.

And that statement doesn't feel realistic to me. Lacking nothing, wanting nothing, that is not my experience. I want lots of things. I feel like I lack lots of things. But verse one tells us that we shall not want because the Lord is my shepherd. See, I know that truth. Maybe you've heard the Lord is your shepherd before and you're thinking, yeah, I know that and I still have needs. I still have once. This first verse of Psalm 23, it's challenging us, but it's also offering us a deep deep and lasting comfort. See, this Psalm challenges us by clearly stating that when we know and believe

and understand that the Lord is our shepherd, we will truly lack nothing. What follows is three images of who the Lord is for us. And in these three images, we find the comfort and understanding of what it means for the Lord to be our shepherd. Verses two through four. shows the goodness of what it means for the Lord to be our shepherd. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Here we read that the Lord provides for the needs of his people. He gives them a place to rest, to eat, to drink.

He brings them life restoring their soul. He leads them to live righteous lives, which is an incredibly positive thing here. He doesn't let any of his people go astray, but keeps them living in safety inside his commands. At times, when they pass through difficult times, when danger and darkness are near, we do not need to fear. We follow a shepherd who knows the way, who protect. us. We can find comfort in knowing that the one we follow is Lord. He is the giver of life, the creator of the world. There's no one else we could follow or take refuge in who is more powerful, more loving, more gentle, kind, rich, generous, or wise. In John 10, Jesus says this. I am the good

shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me. Just as the father knows me and I know the father and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. You see, Jesus is the good shepherd.

He laid down his life for us. He is good. He knows us. He goes to great lengths to gather his people to himself. In Jesus, we are cared for, protected, sought after, and safe. Or the psalmist, he doesn't stop there. He gives us another picture of who this good shepherd is. In verse 5, he switches images to that of God as a great host, bringing us to his table. You prepare a table before me. In the presence of my enemies, you anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows. God has prepared a table for us.

We are anointed, chosen. Our cup overflows with abundance, and this isn't the only table we see in Scripture. In Revelation 19, we read of the fall of Babylon. This imagery is an allegory for the Lord overcoming the evil and brokenness we see in the world all around us. One day, God will overthrow evil, and we are being given a beautiful picture of the Lamb, Jesus, being united with the church in a great wedding. Verse 9 tells us, Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb.

You see, there's another table coming, one where we will feast alongside our king. The Lord will prepare a feast as he is finally united with his people in an everlasting marriage covenant. We will rejoice over the fall of Babylon and we will live forever with our king. And despite not having the full picture that we get to see in Revelation, the psalmist understood the hope that he had for a future of dwelling with the Lord. In verse 6 we read, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and i shall dwell in the house of the lord forever surely because the lord is his shepherd because the lord is preparing a table for him surely goodness and mercy will be with him all the days of his life

and he gives us the final image here of dwelling with the lord in his temple forever the temple was the dwelling place of god and for this psalmist there was no greater good than for him to live in the presence of God forever. In John 219, Jesus refers to himself as the temple. When he came to live among us, his body became the dwelling place of God here on earth. From our vantage point, we know that in the life and work of King Jesus, God has promised to establish his kingdom here on earth forever. And that through Him and His Holy Spirit, we can live in his presence for all of eternity. Knowing all of this, knowing who our shepherd is, knowing what that means, understanding what he is preparing for us, what he is promised to us, knowing that he has sent his Holy Spirit to dwell with us, knowing that he has promised to return and create a good and just

and merciful kingdom where the curse of sin is no more, knowing that he will return to bring us into his glory, to establish his kingdom, to unite himself to his people, forever, knowing all of this, we have to know that we lack nothing. The things that I want on a daily basis are nothing compared to what is offered to us. The psalmist does not promise that our human needs go away, but that if we understand who the Lord is and what he is promised, that we will realize no matter how our lives go, no matter what we have or do not have, no matter what we think we want, God will provide exactly what we need to walk in righteousness and live with him in glory forever. And that's all we need. Truly, when I realize this, the wants that I have become lesser,

I can hold the desires of my heart with open hands. God is faithful, no matter what my day looks like, no matter what my life looks like, no matter if I walk through the valleys or not, he is providing, leading, guiding me. I have His Holy Spirit living within me. If you're in a season of struggling to believe this, if you want to believe these truths, if you want to fix your eyes on the promises of God, will you join me today?

In listening to a song, it's called Psalm 23 by Joshua Sherman. And as you listen, allow the lyric. and truth of the gospel to remind you that we have all that we need. Amen.