I Shall Not Want

Sermon Summary | Pastor Torry Sheppard | May 31

In Psalm 23, David makes one of the most remarkable statements in all of Scripture: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” In a culture built on creating new desires and convincing us that satisfaction is always one purchase, promotion, or experience away, those words feel almost impossible. 

The reality is that most of us live with a “want monster” inside of us. We are constantly looking for the next thing—more success, more influence, more experiences, more possessions, or simply something new. While the objects of our desires may change over time, the cycle remains the same. We want, we acquire, we enjoy briefly, and then we begin wanting again. 

The problem is not merely that wanting exists. The problem is what constant wanting does to us. 

The Cost of Constant Wanting

Jesus addresses this reality in Matthew 11 when He says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” 

Those two words—weary and burdened—describe the two primary outcomes of a life spent chasing more. 

First, wanting makes us weary. It burns us out. We exhaust ourselves striving, optimizing, achieving, and chasing the next thing. Even our spiritual lives can become performance-driven as we focus more on producing for Jesus than being with Him. 

Second, wanting leaves us burdened. Comparison loads expectations onto our lives. We look at other people’s marriages, careers, homes, families, and accomplishments and begin carrying weights God never asked us to carry. The result is overwhelm, frustration, and discouragement. 

To both the burned-out and the overwhelmed, Jesus offers the same invitation: “Come to me.” 

The Secret of Contentment

A thousand years before Jesus spoke those words, David discovered the same truth. His confidence in Psalm 23 was not rooted in perfect circumstances. It was rooted in the sufficiency of God. 

David did not say there was nothing left to desire. He simply recognized that God was enough. 

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” 

The challenge for believers is not simply coming to Christ. The challenge is staying with Him when the world continually tries to pull our attention elsewhere. 

Three Habits for the Long Haul

Jesus gives us a pathway for remaining anchored in Him through three habits of the heart. 

1. Abide in Christ

In John 15, Jesus describes Himself as the vine and His followers as the branches. The call is not to strive harder but to stay connected. 

Fruitfulness is not the cause of connection—it is the result of connection. The branch does not produce fruit through effort but through attachment to the vine. 

For many driven people, abiding feels passive. In reality, it is one of the most difficult spiritual disciplines because it requires choosing presence with Christ over constant productivity. 

2. Delight in Christ

Psalm 37 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” 

This is not a promise that God will give us everything we want. It is a promise that as we delight in Him, our desires begin to change. God Himself becomes the desire of our hearts. 

Delight moves discipleship from duty to affection. It transforms obedience from something we have to do into something we want to do. 

While delight cannot be manufactured, it grows through nearness. The more we spend time with God, the more we discover that He is better than anything else competing for our affection. 

3. Remain in Christ

Jesus says in John 8, “If you remain in my word, you are truly my disciples.” 

The mark of a disciple is not a dramatic beginning but faithful endurance. 

Remaining means choosing to stay when prayers go unanswered, when life does not make sense, and when disappointment creates an opportunity to walk away. Like Peter in John 6, disciples learn to say, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” 

The Invitation

These three habits build upon one another. We abide in Christ, which leads us to delight in Him, and that delight gives us the strength to remain with Him through every season. 

The Christian life is not about endlessly chasing the next thing. Eventually we discover that Jesus is the next thing. He is the hope, the purpose, the fulfillment, and the satisfaction we have been searching for all along. 

The Lord is our Shepherd. Therefore, we shall not want. 

Abide. Delight. Remain.