I learned to say this as a child I was baffled. If the Lord is my shepherd and He does all these wonderful things, why do I not want Him? If finally asked about this and of course was informed that I was misunderstanding the words – of course it’s not the Lord you don’t want – it’s that you won’t want anything else. Huh!
And most of the time this is true — if I turn to the Lord, I have what I need and want. But there are days when I become sinner extraordinaire. It seems that my original interpretation might be more accurate. The Lord is my shepherd but I’d really rather be left alone. Then I get into real trouble.
Not sure where I’m going with this, but it helps to reflect on the times when I want to be left alone. It also calls to mind some of the gospel message for this week. Jesus tells us that He came not to condemn us but to be Light for us. And basically it seems we convict ourselves.
Lord, help me to walk in Your Light and help me to be without want instead of not wanting You.