Lack Nothing
In verse one of his twenty-third psalm, King David of Israel declared, "The Lord is my shepherd; I lack nothing." The author's statement acknowledges God's premier station in his life. The Lord is David's guidance, protection, companion, defender, providence, leader, sustainer, and more and more. David willingly allegorizes God as his shepherd, thereby representing himself as a sheep. The king would be the follower, and God would be the leader. The Lord would be all-knowing, and King David would be the livestock.
But that is not the end of the statement. David also said, "I lack nothing." This latter half of the statement is only separated from the first by a comma and should be interpreted as connected with the other part. The Lord being the shepherd and David's lack of nothing should be considered together. Because the Lord is "my shepherd," I have nothing lacking in my life. Because the Good Shepherd is my shepherd, He provides for me all I need at all times.
The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want. (Psalms 23:1 KVJ)
Now the world may rise up in us and say, "Easy for you to say, King David! What do kings lack - exactly nothing!" But of course, we do know that kings are human beings, and they do lack much. Maybe not as much as other humans. But they still lack. However, further contextual analysis of Psalms 23:1 shows David was not king when he wrote it. He was anointed to be king by Samuel, the judge and prophet. But he had not ascended to the throne of Israel because the nation had a king named Saul. And here is the thing - Saul was trying to kill David. So David was running for his life.
When he wrote this psalm, David lacked a lot. He was hiding in caves, so he lacked a home. He lacked friends and had many enemies. He lacked the crown that was intended for him. He lacked foot. He lacked weapons. He lacked an army. David had a serious case of lack. Yet he said, "I lack nothing."
David's statement was not only a declaration of the all-sustaining character of God's shepherding in his life. It also was a personal declaration of faith in God. David understood that God was leading, shepherding his past, present, and future. Because of God's faithfulness, David had no need of anything. Even more, David would not seek anything outside of God. This is where the message hits for us.
David's declaration is as true today as it was when he wrote it thousands of years ago. The Lord is our Shepherd. He is the Good Shepherd, and those who put their trust in Him shall be saved and sustained. We lack nothing in our God. If He is our all in all, we need nothing else. However, when we look to things outside of God, we suffer lack. It is not that God has not supplied our needs. It's that we, as humans, seek things that God has no intention of supplying.
He will indeed lead you into green pastures and by still waters. He will walk with you through the darkest valleys and protect you from your enemies. But He does not supply your desire for this world and things of it. King David made a firm decision that God was enough and nothing was lacking inside Him. He would not search for purpose or pleasures outside of the Lord. Christian, we must firmly establish this position in our own lives; understanding that when we have lack, it is because we are seeking something outside of God.