Want

I shall not be in want.

 - From the 23rd Psalm

The 23rd Psalm is probably the most familiar chapter in that book. It may be the most familiar chapter in all of the Old Testament, if not the entire Bible.

When I was a child, it was recited, every week, by the congregation, at some point in the Sunday worship service. This showed how important it was to all present, and to the forbears of that congregation. I learned that it serves as the most representative section of the entire Scripture - - - one that wraps it all up into a succinct passage.

It talks about God's provision for us. It is full of happy confidence. We are more than okay.

We're as safe as little kids falling asleep in the back seat, as their Dad drives them home from a vacation to visit their grandparents. We're as relaxed and carefree as a person staying under the warms covers, listening to the cold rain outside.

This is how the 23rd Psalm affects me.

A person that believes the 23rd Psalm is true, would have to have a distinct approach to such things as modern politics. How can you engage in envious policies and practices, when you believe the Lord keeps us from want? You want others to have the same confidence - - - not from government programs, but because you have personally worked to help them out.

I'm not being unrealistic. I am not a Pollyanna, nor is my head in the sand.

It's going to be all right. We're okay. We're better off then we know.