SERMON - I SHALL NOT WANT: How God Meets Our Deepest Needs

A Thanksgiving sermon from a Christian Pastor:

I Shall Not Want: How God Meets Our Deepest Needs

By Michael Milton

Psalms 23

Thanksgiving is a time that marks the beginning of a very special holiday season. It seems that it comes earlier each year. Or is that our age? One thing is clear: the holiday season causes us all to think about the things that matter most. We think of family, of friends, of hopes and dreams. We think about our deepest longings. We might even think about our deepest needs.

It is not wrong to think about our needs. What gets us in trouble is where we go to get our needs met. So often, family gatherings are tense times. One of the reasons is that we come to the gatherings with bad memories of how this or that person did not meet our needs. An adult son can't help but look up at the dad who is offering thanks. He sees the busy workaholic father who missed the Boy Scout badge presentation. An aging woman works alongside her daughter-in-law in the kitchen, beneath the smiles and helpful hands, is a heart that is bitter over the perception that the daughter-in-law's insecurity has divided the aging woman from her son. And so it goes. Houses brimming with apparently thankful people, but who are filled with disappointment and unmet needs.

So what do we do? Where do we go? I offer you what I think is the perfect prescription for peace this holiday season: Psalm 23.The problem is, God wants us to take our deepest needs to Him. The hope is, when our needs are met by God, we can deal with each other with more mercy, more grace, and more forgiveness.

From the opening of David's unforgettable line, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want..." the believer or seeker is led to see how this God of David's provides for the deepest needs of those who will believe.

HE PROVIDES FOR OUR PHYSICAL NEEDS

"He makes me to lie down in green pastures, He leads me besides still waters."

David's classic Psalm is written in a familiar setting: the pastoral and serene setting of a shepherd's field. David knew this setting well, of course. The shepherd's pasture was the place where God met with David. It is the place where David's soul broke forth in composition of songs and heart felt praise. It was far from the cold stones of a formal temple. But it was far greater than any temple, any cathedral. When things went badly for David, when kings threw spears at him, when a son rose up against him, when his own sins robbed him of precious opportunity to do good and enjoy blessing, David went back to the pasture. What did he focus on? David focused on how God met the most basic of needs: physical needs. This is the God who gives green pastures, and still waters. Both are needed for healthy sheep. Sheep need good green grass to give them the nutrients they need. They need still water, because they can't or won't drink rushing water. In the pasture of God, He meets the most basic of needs.

(closing prayer)

Father, Lord of everything that is, please accept our praise and our worship as we enjoys all that You have given us. You fulfill our every need and most often before we even feel need at all. In Your love for us we often fail to say our prayerful thanks to You and do so at this time.

We ask that You accept our thanks as well as those offered throughout our world offered by our Christian brothers and sisters.

Father, we also ask that You spread Your Mighty Arms and protect our sons and daughters in service of our country. Keep them safe from harm and in Your mercies.

You are our God and there is none above You. We worship You in spirit and in truth. We bow before You as we say...Holy...Holy...Holy. Holy are You Lord King of all there is.

We pray our prayer in Jesus' name who is One with You and the Holy Spirit; One God for ever and ever,

Amen, amen and amen

 

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Pastor Lee S Gliddon Jr
God's Word Christian Ministry
Conservative Patriot http://conpats.blogspot.com