Katherin Jara Caceres
When we let God be first, we will realize that He has already filled many of our empty spots and needs.
Every generation has at least one iconic breaking-news event. Some would cite the assassination of American president John F. Kennedy, while older ones would remember the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Yet others would mention the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of communist oligarchy in Europe; and for many, the focus would be the attacks of September 11, 2001. Without any doubt, the current generation will remember the coronavirus pandemic. While the sensation of these events retains the same focus, the technological sophistication of these news flashes and communication of breaking news tends to show an increase in intensity and fervor.
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1, NKJV).1
“I shall not want.” What do I understand by that? It is an affirmation that leaves no room for second-guessing. If the Lord is my Shepherd, I shall want nothing. Absolutely nothing.
I have thought about this many a time. But I find myself often asking: If the Bible states such a promise, why is it that I haven’t received those things I have been asking God for so long? Why am I not doing well in my studies? Why are my financial resources inadequate? Why am I not receiving other things I have been waiting for?
It is here that an analysis of such a well-known text acquires importance.
If we still feel we are “missing something,” it could be due to various reasons. One such reason could be: we don’t lack what we think we lack.
I want to emphasize this point. There is a real possibility that, due to our human nature, there are things we think we are lacking when this is really not the case. As victims of a consumerist society and due to the limited scope of our vision, we end up convincing ourselves and believing the opposite. In this, I am not referring to the basic needs of life or the resolution of health problems that we may have because God is clear in telling us to have life and health in abundance.
It’s possible we may have been praying for specific things for a long time. It may be that our requests are for something that is not truly a need or that is not what God desires for our life. Or maybe now is not the time. If so, would we easily accept a message from God like this: “No, my son/daughter. Now is not the time for you to be dating. Focus on your studies, get good grades, and eventually, you will find a partner for life”? It is very likely that we would not like such a suggestion, and would ignore that message, especially if we have met someone who seems like a good candidate.
Likewise, when we ask for a good friend’s advice, we accept it willingly if that advice agrees with our interests. On the other hand, if it doesn’t agree with our ideas or plans for our life, we tend to question such advice or even seek to counter it by identifying a solution that better fits our preferences.
Using god’s tools to find his guidance
Although God doesn’t use the phone to call us, and there is no WhatsApp to convey His suggestions, He provides tools like prayer and Bible study that we can use to obtain His guidance and help us understand His plans for our lives. And God often uses a variety of people, such as pastors, leaders, counselors, and teachers, who can provide guidance. God is always willing to give us what is best for us, as His Word reminds us: “‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope’” (Jeremiah 29:11).
If we think there is something we lack but don’t get it even when we are convinced of our need, then it’s time to stop, meditate on the verse from Psalm 23, and pray for wisdom. If we claim the promise of James 1:5, God will give us abundant wisdom to understand and accept that, perhaps, we are not really lacking what we think we are lacking. When our prayers are no longer not limited to what we want or what we think we lack, we will be able to accept that when God is our all, then we would not need anything else. And this is how God’s will for our lives becomes our will.
Sometimes it’s hard to accept that process, especially if our health or life is at stake. However, as we immerse ourselves in the presence of God, we will be able to accept, with gratitude and serenity, even a difficult and discouraging prognosis. When we reflect upon the suffering and death of Christ, we will come to understand that, even in pain, God is at the helm and can turn pain into a blessing.
It is difficult to understand that we already have everything from God and that we might not need anything else. Human nature makes us reluctant to accept God’s plan rather than the plan we have set up for ourselves. It is an ongoing struggle: learning to live without what we think we need and accepting what God has in store for us. Jesus urges us to ask, seek, and knock (Matthew 7:7-11), and the apostle implores us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:7). We must always seek to be in sync with God’s desires, because our desires may sometimes go against His will, and may not be the best for us.
It’s not that we should not dream. Not at all. God wants us to aspire and dream and enjoy an abundant life. All those aspirations, however, must center around a more encompassing goal: being in Christ Jesus. In His wisdom, God knows what will take us through that path and what will not.
Learn to accept god’s plan
It might be that the goal we have in mind when we pray is not what God has in His plans for us, or maybe it is not in God’s schedule now to give us what we request. As we wait for God’s answer to be revealed, however, our challenge is to learn to accept God’s plan as He lays it out before us, because every decision we make can take us farther from or closer to His original plan. His plan is for every one of us to be saved. Our challenge is to find refuge in Him and learn to live in His grace.
God’s promise is: “‘My grace is sufficient for you’” (2 Corinthians 12:9). God’s grace should be the only source that fills the empty places we think we have. When we understand that God must be first, we will realize that He has already filled many of our empty spots and needs. And we will be able to identify and understand what our true needs are.
It would, therefore, be good for each of us to ask ourselves the following questions: Is God my Shepherd? Is He the One filling my life? Do I live daily under His grace? Do I consistently listen to His voice? If I do not yet feel that God’s grace is sufficient for me, then do I accept the challenge to learn to live in it every day? Might this, then, help me stop feeling that something is always lacking in my life?
The best course is for us to lean upon God today and every day. As someone has said, “You will have all of God when He has all of you.”2 The biggest challenge in our life is learning to be patient when God’s answer is “wait” or “not now.” We will lack nothing when our innermost being belongs fully to Him.
Katherin Jara Cáceres (MSc in Experimental Sciences, Catholic University of Valparaíso, Chile) is a Professor of Sciences and Chemistry at the Mayor University in Santiago, Chile. E-mail:
Recommended Citation
Katherin Jara Caceres, "I Shall Not Want," Dialogue 34:3 (2022): 17-19
Notes and references
- All Scripture passages in this article are quoted from the New King James Version of the Bible. Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
- Nino Paucar [@ninopaucar] (August 27, 2011), Tu tendrás todo de DIOS cuando el tenga todo de ti [Tweet]. Twitter. https://mobile. twitter.com/ninopaucar/status/103894547234435072.
https://dialogue.adventist.org/3730/i-shall-not-want
