The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Psalm 23:1-6

My daddy was a Methodist Lay Pastor. He was called on to deliver the sermon when the regular pastor was traveling. Daddy said you could always preach on the 23rd Psalm and never repeat yourself. I did not understand what he meant. To me, it was confusing beginning with the first line, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”

If you read it, you notice a comma between shepherd and I. But growing up and hearing it read aloud in church, I did not “hear” a pause for the comma. My interpretation was I don’t want the Lord. How stupid I felt when I realized that one little punctuation mark keep me from understanding the first line of the beloved chapter.

One Sunday, a retired pastor came to speak during Sunday School. Not knowing the topic, I wandered in to his class. More accurately, God steered me into his class. That morning, my eyes were opened! He started discussing the 23rd Psalm and I “got it”.

Shepherd: a person who tends sheep; to guide or guard in the manner of a shepherd

The Lord is my shepherd: He will take care of me. He will protect me like a shepherd protects his sheep.

I shall not want. A good shepherd provides food, water and shelter for his flock.

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Matthew 6:26 NIV

What a comfort to me! At night, when I am having trouble falling asleep, I recite the 23rd Psalm. Sometimes, it is just this first verse and reflect on the fact that I have everything I need – shelter; food; family; love. My Shepherd is watching over me.