The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul…
- Psalm 23:1-3
This verse is so well known and such a beautiful promise. I have found great comfort in these words over the years, but in seasons when my heart was aching, it felt harder to believe. It felt hard to read “I shall not be in want” when my soul felt left in the dust, longing for so much, for a different outcome to the story I was walking through. Have you ever felt that way when reading promises like this in Scripture? It can be so confusing.
Sometimes seasons of “being in want” descend upon your normal from out of nowhere, and sometimes the “valley” seems like it is just where you will always live, but I can honestly say that I have known God’s comfort and restoration even in those kinds of seasons. I have found that even in the valley, when God is shepherding us, our soul really does have what it needs. We are not in a state of “want” when it comes to His nearness and tenderness . . . even if our current view of the world looks dim and dark.