A hungry baby cries; he needs to be fed. His loving mother knows this and rushes to his side, picks him up, and soothes him as she offers him her life-sustaining milk. This baby wants for nothing, for he has a caring, faithful, and compassionate mother. We have it even better! Our good shepherd is perfect! He is loving, caring, faithful, kind, compassionate, and because He is all-knowing, He gives us everything we need so we will never be in want.
When I think of wants in terms of our culture, I think of worldly desires--of Christmas lists: dolls, Legos, name-brand clothes, computers, TVs, cars. But this is not the Hebrew meaning of want, which refers to something that is lacking; a need. The baby in the above paragraph was not wanting in our culture’s terms; he was wanting sustenance. “I shall not be in want—I shall not lack.” This is the meaning in David’s psalm. When our Lord examines our hearts, He knows exactly what we want. Have you ever doubted this? Perhaps you turn to issues such as hatred, hunger, illness, and loss. Rather than these, you desire peace, love, and equality extended to everyone. You desire agape love and life! God knows these are things we lack in this world. For in perfection God created the heavens and earth and all things in and on it, including mankind. Not desiring robots or forced faith, however, He designed man with free will—choose to love and obey Him or rebel. When man did just that, sin entered the world and everything became subject to decay and death. To hope and pray for a perfect world before the new heavens and earth is unrealistic, for we will live in this fallen state until then. Our perfect God understands all this; in fact, He knew what our situation would be even before creation! He knew our need for light and life, for joy, hope, and love! That is why in His caring, selfless act of perfect love, God sent His only Son to us to fulfill our every want! The very things we long for, everything we need for sustenance to survive our time in this physical world until we reach our heavenly home, is given to us when we place our faith in Jesus. With Jesus, we find hope, direction, and peace. We are given a brilliant future with everlasting lives where nothing decays and where there be no tears, but only light—where a joy and love we cannot possibly imagine prevail! Jesus answers all our wants and fills the void of everything we lack. The chorus of one of our greatest hymns, “Great is Thy Faithfulness,” composed by William M. Runyan, Thomas O Chisholm, and Eric Allyn Schrotenboer, states this very clearly: "Great is Thy faithfulness Great is Thy faithfulness Morning by morning, new mercies I see All I have needed, Thy hand hath provided Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me." Verses: Philippians 4:19 “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” Psalm 34:10 “Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.” Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.” PRAYER: Lord, when I want things, earthly things, let me remember they truly are not important in the scheme of life! And when I want things not of this earth, things I cannot possibly control, such as healing for my son’s sweet wife, my friends with cancer and MS, those who are hurting because of other illnesses, loss, and those suffering for their faith, let me turn my focus on you, remembering that You are in control. Of course I keep in prayer all these things, but I must constantly remember that You see in full, while I only in part. I do believe that, as Your Word states, I do believe that, as Your Word states, when we love You, You will use all in our lives for good, according to Your loving purpose for us. Thank you, Father, for being all-knowing, and thank you for answering my every want with Jesus. Thank you, Father, for being all-knowing, and thank you for answering my every want with Jesus. Disclaimer: I am just an ordinary woman who loves Jesus, accepting Him as Savior at the age of thirty-two and digging into the Bible ever since. How could I possibly hope to develop a heart relationship with God and trust Him with my life if I didn't know who He is? These devotionals are written to help you journey with Christ and grow in your heart relationship with Him. However, it is essential that you examine my words, and those of all other 'teachers," with God's Holy Word. Therein lies the source of all truth! Comments are closed.
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Author Candice Mary Thomas writes about loving God and loving people! Coming to Christ at age 32 and now in her 70's, Candice knows what a difference it makes living with or without Christ as one's personal Savior. Archives
December 2022
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