I Shall Not Want

"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want."

Psalm 23:1

How profound is this simple truth!  This immortal psalm was penned by King David, a man who knew God as a sheep knows his shepherd.  A good shepherd is faithful to meet all the needs of the sheep in his flock.  Because God was David's shepherd, he lacked no good thing.  That is not to say David's life was easy.  For many years David was homeless and in hiding, fleeing from the wrath of King Saul.  Yet whether David found himself in a cave or a palace, the Word of God remained true.

It is common for us to use the word "want" in relation to our desire.  That is not the meaning of the Hebrew word used here.  The Strong's Talking Greek and Hebrew Dictionary defines "haser" as "to lack; by implication to fail, want, lessen; be abated, bereave, decrease."  David is saying, "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not lack.  I shall not fail.  I shall not be abated or bereaved."  This sentiment is confirmed many times in scripture.  He would later write in Psalm 34:10, "The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing."  How ironic is this!  Even young lions, with their sharp claws, teeth, and skills for hunting, still end up going hungry.  But those sheep of God's fold will lack nothing.  All our needs are met in our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

We see this lived out even in our day.  The prominent politicians, the powerful businessmen, the wealthy men and women of this age die empty and dissatisfied with all the world can offer.  No amount of fame, riches, or possessions enables a man to enter into rest.  The things a man pursues to fulfill himself end up being a mirage.  Like smoke, it ends up being without substance.  How people impale themselves upon their passions and pursuits!  What a price people pay to obtain what will only destroy them.  If a rock star lives to be 60, he has outlived most of his peers.  It is no secret that many lottery millionaires cite their winning the lottery as the worst day of their life - in retrospect.  Most people will not give up what strangles them.

One of the things people long for is love.  The Bible says the love of God "never fails."  David had experienced this love.  God was his shepherd, so he did not lack.  He goes on to write how God provides contentment, peace, and rest in Psalm 23:2:  "He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters."  He spoke of the healing, restorative work of God's grace and how God always directed him in the right way to live in Psalm 23:3:  "He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake."  David's Good Shepherd had removed all fear from him, because he remained continually in God's presence as evidenced in Psalm 23:4.  Those whom God loves He corrects.  "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."  Even his daily bread was supplied abundantly by God.  Psalm 23:5 reads, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over."  God even provided a future that no one could separate David from!  He was so convinced of this David concludes in Psalm 23:6:  "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."

Can you say, "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want?"  Is your current life lacking?  If this is the case, then we can know we have not been looking to our Good Shepherd Jesus Christ to supply our needs.  Jesus says in John 10:10-11, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. ¹¹ I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep."  It is very easy for even Christians to fall into the rut of dissatisfaction and covetousness.  Our wants increase while our needs for fellowship and guidance from God are neglected.  It is for this reason Paul writes in Colossians 3:1-4, "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. ² Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. ³ For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory."

Because Christ is our life, we shall not want!  His love never fails.

Love and Hope for All

No one can receive God's love without being dynamically changed by it.  Instead of focusing upon self, love turns its gaze towards God and others.  There is compassion and grace where there was once only selfish preoccupation.  Love makes our hearts grow in breadth and depth.  Knowledge paves the way to feelings of incredible persistence.  God's love is so profound, tangible, and real.  A person who tastes of this love sees it is good, and nothing in or of this world can compare.

God's love seek release through acts of service and salvation.  No one filled with the Holy Spirit and His divine love can read shocking statistics of how many children and adults are trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation and remain unmoved.  The world has sown to the flesh through sexual sin and is reaping a bumper crop of deception, oppression, pain, ruin, disease, horror, addictions, and death people don't even want to think about.  But love won't look away.  Love cannot avert its eyes from suffering and pain.  Love wants to do something:  love must do anything possible to deliver bodies and souls from the pain of physical or sexual abuse.  Love does not falter in the face of sin's ugliness.

Awareness of the issue of sexual slavery is growing.  But awareness of a problem does not mean we have the capacity to fix it ourselves.  So what is to be done?  The Bible tells us that our fight is not against flesh and blood - the pimps, Johns, drug pushers, or people who knowingly sell their children for sex - but against principalities and powers, the demonic rulers of wickedness who increase the sway of Satan in this world.  These are spiritual beings of great power who seek to destroy the bodies and souls of people by their lies and lusts, people young and old created in the image of God.  It is only through God we can do valiantly and bring down the strongholds which daily grow stronger.

If you are someone who has been wounded and damaged through sexual abuse and/or slavery, you are of great value to God and to me.  I love you.  Only in Jesus can you find rest for your soul.  Jesus demonstrated His love for you on the cross and rose again, defeating death.  His love for you is everlasting and there is no stain of sin His precious blood cannot cleanse.  Only God knows how greatly you have suffered:  the tears you have cried, pain you have endured, humiliation words cannot begin describe.  Even when you cannot bring yourself to cry, God knows.  That is why Jesus laid His life down on the cross:  to free you from guilt, to heal your mind and heart, and so you can live with Him forever when you repent and trust in Him.  Perfect love casts out all fear.  Cast your cares upon Christ, for He cares for you.  I am praying that God would set you free physically and spiritually from your bondage!

Let us be faithful to pray for the deliverance and eternal salvation of those who suffer the slow death of sex slavery and abuse.  May the deeds shrouded in secrecy and darkness be overwhelmed with the light of life found only in Christ.  Let us pray that those taken captive by the devil to do his will to be freed, and for the fear and shame of the victims to be swallowed up in victory through Jesus.  May God forgive us for our apathy and for not walking in love as He has demonstrated by dying on the cross for us while we were yet sinners.  Thank you Jesus, for the tangible love you have granted us by your grace.  I am no Saviour, but Jesus is!  Here I am, LORD.  Use me to set the captives free.

Camp Kedron

Last night I came home from a week at Camp Kedron, a wonderful Christian camp on the edge of a national reserve.  I was part of a team hosting a holiday camp for years 7 through 10.  Even with the rain it was a massive success:  kids had an awesome time, the Gospel was shared and discussed, and Jesus Christ received the glory.  As I drove up Mona Vale road, the sunset was breathtaking:  rays of light peered through plumes of clouds, lining the edge with a glistening ribbon of white.  Two vertical pillars were illuminated with a swath of orange and blue as fog swirled like a fragile membrane between them.  "God, how could something be so beautiful?" I asked.  "I have done greater than this in the hearts of many this week," was His response.  And God's right - nothing is a beautiful as the transforming, redeeming work He does within the soul of a person by His grace.

As the camp speaker for six days at an Australian holiday camp, it was a fresh experience for me.  Distinct from a church camp or retreat, it was my role to hold forth the word of God to a largely unbelieving group.  I felt as Jesus was lifted up and glorified there was a holy hush upon those who heard, for together we ventured upon holy ground.  A ten-minute talk gave way to lively cabin groups which discussed and questioned the things we were learning about the great God who made all things.  Hard hearts softened as young minds wondered aloud.  Decisions were made to follow Jesus Christ for the rest of their lives.  Kids whose parents don't believe God exists soberly admitted they were not far from the kingdom of God.  Leaders where challenged and encouraged to go deeper in faith.  Life for the hundred or so in attendance, me included, will never be the same.

One of the greatest snapshots of the fun we had at camp came into focus when I walked by a boys cabin.  The leader was serenely reading through the Bible as five or six kids covered in sleeping bags with their feet sticking out thrashed all over each other, wrestling around.  Muffled grunts and groans came from the bags as they traded positions.  As I stopped and watched the match, wondering how stuffy and uncomfortable it must be inside those sleeping bags, a boy walked up and threw his sock two meters above the leader's head.  The sock stuck beautifully to the wall and was followed by the second.  Ingenious, sweaty, and stinky kids.  Gotta love 'em!  

Throughout the week I was blessed to meet and speak with many of the leaders and campers.  In my prayers last night I was able to recall about 50 of them!  I am comforted that God will not forget a single one.  When they grow up, He will always recognize them too.  I was greatly encouraged by what a leader said:  "Even if speaking at Camp Kedron was all you did during the next two years in Australia, it would be an eternal success."  I feel the same, by God's grace.  I have thrown my hat into the ring to be a leader in the future.  Should God open the door and give opportunity, I'll be paying my dues as a youth leader all over again.  It's funny how the dues are never fully paid!  Praise God for the fact He has paid my debt, and for that I will be forever grateful.

Remembering Ross

This week I said a final goodbye to a good friend, Trevor "Ross" Tooke.  As I looked at him as he lay peacefully in a casket before his funeral, I didn't need words.  I smiled through teary eyes.  After battling brain cancer for many years, he was finally a man who embraced eternal rest with His Saviour Jesus Christ.  Ross will always be an amazing man.

I had the great privilege of getting to know Ross when I accepted he and Joan's offer of hospitality.  I had accepted the offer of pastoring Calvary Chapel Sydney and needed a place to stay for two months.  During that time I was afforded a special view into the life of a man I love, respect, and admire.  Ross took me on as a project of sorts, happily teaching me the intricacies of Australian pronunciation, lingo, and culture.  While under the wing of Ross you learn a lot of things:  how to clean a pool, how to make a proper cup of tea, handle a BBQ, and to show love through service.  Every time I have a cup of English Breakfast I remember my mate Ross.

If I could use three words to sum up the heart of Ross, it would be "love through service."  When I arrived in Australia in October 2010, the prognosis for Ross was not good.  His second brain operation had been an initial success, but that stubborn tumour was back again - and growing fast.  Between going in for scans and treatments, Ross toiled away on my immigration paperwork.  We spent hours driving from open house to open house, submitting applications, looking for a place for my family and I to rent.  He would sit at his computer for hours, looking at property listings while Poncho soaked up the rays by his side.  Let me tell you, no one wants to do those things even when perfectly healthy!  But that was Ross.  He could have done anything but paperwork.  No one would have blamed him.  But even after his third operation, Ross kept plugging away.  Love through service, even when life was brutal.   

I always loved to hear the stories Ross would tell.  One of my favorites was when he had come home very late from work and the house was dark.  Joan would always wrap up a plate for Ross to eat when he came home.  As he felt around he found a plate of biscuits (cookies).  "These biscuits are rather ordinary," Ross said to himself as he choked it down. (In Australia, the term "ordinary" is used to describe something which is poor or lousy.)  It was only after finishing the biscuit that Ross realised he had just eaten one of Poncho's dog treats!  Ross had a very dry, quick wit.  I once asked him to describe his sense of humour in a word.  Without hesitation Ross said, "Australian!"

1 Corinthians 4:2 says, "Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful."  Ross was one of those faithful stewards.  The love of Jesus Christ came out of his life in such practical ways.  Because he set his love and faith upon Christ, Ross is one of the jewels spoken of in Malachi 3:17:  "They shall be Mine," says the LORD of hosts, "on the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him."  I love you, Ross.  You ran well.  Until we meet again in the presence of our Saviour, may I follow your example to be about the LORD's business.