Simply the Bible Blog

“I shall not want.” (Psalm 23.1b)

Christmas time is here. When shopping lists and credit lines are maxed. We know the most popular song among merchants is “It’s the most wonderful time of the year…”

Do I sound cynical? Truly, I enjoy giving as well as receiving good gifts. But there is a word that is often lacking in this season: contentment. One benefit of our struggling economy has been a seismic shift in values. When you have less to spend then spending time with the ones you love becomes more meaningful.

As David considered his relationship to the Shepherd, he realized that he lacked no good thing. As the classic hymn puts it, “All I have needed thy hand hath provided…”

Being a follower of the Shepherd does not mean that we won’t have financial struggles. It simply means that as we trust and wait upon Him, He faithfully supplies all that we need. And let’s face it: sometimes what we need is not what we want.

When we first moved to Boise our earnings were cut by two-thirds. That first Christmas we didn’t have any money for gifts. Concerned for our children, my wife Cindy asked for prayer from a group of pastor’s wives. The next day we received an overnight Fed Ex package from Sacramento (our home town). In it was a check for $1,000 made out to me! We danced around the kitchen with the children who would now have a wonderful Christmas. The greatest gift that year was the lesson of God’s amazing providence.

In our Christmas celebration why not ask our Shepherd this year for the priceless gift of contentment? Who knows, He may even throw in a bonus!