As he reflected on how he sought to provide the very best for his sheep, so his thoughts were caught up with spiritual parallel of how much God cares and provides for His own dear children. Jesus taught us to pray: ‘Give us this day our daily bread.’ God is our Jehovah Jireh, the One who supplies all our need, and we are encouraged to look to Him on a day by day basis as the source of all that our bodies require in order to function and serve us well. 

The Psalm teaches us, I think, two basic truths about how God provides for us in order that our bodies should be strong and healthy. Firstly he supplies sufficient food. ‘I shall not want.’ God promises that there will always be enough, so we have no need to fear. From time to time I come across people who, at some point in their past, have experienced scarcity. Some are older folk who suffered the ravages of the Second World War, others are from large families where sibling rivalry at the dinner table meant that if you didn’t grab all that you could as quickly as possible, then you might not get enough! Occasionally the Holy Spirit has revealed that a fear of deprivation has been a root for over-eating. But listen, God isn’t going to let you go hungry. He is the Good Shepherd – YOU SHALL NOT WANT. Claim this promise now and break free from the Devil’s lies. God does not want you to live in fear. 

This Psalm does not only tell us that God will provide food for us, but also what kind of food. David spoke of ‘green pasture’. The Galilean hill slopes surrounding Bethlehem where David grew up, would not have been the most luxuriant of farm land. Sheep can survive in very tough conditions, and both the climate and terrain may have been far less than ideal. Nevertheless, around the water brooks the pasture would have been green and lush. David cared for his flock and put himself out to provide the very best. We may be able to survive on inferior junk food, but is this really what God wants for us? Is this the best that He can do? With all the scientific evidence we now have demonstrating the long-term health effects of a diet laden with high quantities of salt, sugar and modified starch, surely this isn’t the ‘green pasture’ He has provided. (You can interpret the ‘green’ bit loosely – I’m not making a case for vegetarianism!) God has given us our bodies to serve us and also that, through them, we might effectively serve Him. God wants more for us than simply to fill our bellies. In Psalm 81:13, 16 God says: ‘Oh, that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways! I would have fed them with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would have satisfied them.’ So don’t settle for second best. Let God lead you to graze in ‘green pasture’ today.