I Shall Not Want - Audrey Assad

scripture and prayer reflection

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Click HERE to listen to the song on Spotify

Lyrics

From the love of my own comfort

From the fear of having nothing

From a life of worldly passions

Deliver me O God

From the need to be understood

And from a need to be accepted

From the fear of being lonely

Deliver me O God

Deliver me O God

And I shall not want, no, I shall not want

When I taste Your goodness, I shall not want

When I taste Your goodness, I shall not want

From the fear of serving others

Oh, and from the fear of death or trial

And from the fear of humility

Deliver me O God

Yes, deliver me O God

And I shall not want, no, I shall not want

When I taste Your goodness I shall not want

No, I shall not want, no, I shall not want

When I taste Your goodness I shall not want

When I taste Your goodness I shall not want

I shall not want

I shall not want

Psalm 23:1-6

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

3 He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.

Psalm 34:4-9, 18-19

4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me

and delivered me from all my fears.

5 Those who look to him are radiant,

and their faces shall never be ashamed.

6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him

and saved him out of all his troubles.

7 The angel of the Lord encamps

around those who fear him, and delivers them.

8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!

Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

9 Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,

for those who fear him have no lack!

18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted

and saves the crushed in spirit.

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

Reflection

There are many things that can get in the way of our relationship with God. Even good things, when elevated to a higher place than they were intended to hold, draw our hearts to attach to things other than God, looking to them to fill us and provide for our needs.

This song is a bracingly honest look at the things that so often take center stage in our lives -- love of comfort and abundance, desire for acceptance and approval from others, being understood and well-liked, avoiding hard things. Depending on our personalities and experiences, these things easily slip into becoming top priority, the thing around which our lives orient. In looking to these things for a sense of identity, safety, security, purpose, we no longer look to God and His provisions. Rather than entrusting ourselves into His hands, we desperately grasp and cling to cheap imitations of His provision, peace, and comfort.

The songwriter here reflects on the key to understanding how to respond when we find ourselves drawn to other things. When she looks to God and tastes how good He is, the pull that other things can have on her heart is weakened. Not eliminated -- the song is still full of prayer that God would help her vigilantly guard her heart against these lesser loves. But weakened, in a way that they no longer automatically run the show.

In his book Walking in the Spirit*, Ken Berding uses a moment from his own life to illustrate this. While on vacation, he and his wife walked by shops selling delicious looking ice cream and wanted to get some, but decided to wait until later so that they wouldn’t spoil their dinner. However, the next day as they walked past another ice cream shop, they realized that -- in that moment at least -- they no longer wanted any, because they had just eaten a meal and were already full! When we are already filled up with looking at and meditating on God’s goodness, the other things we sometimes look to for fulfillment no longer seem so appealing.

Take some time to reflect on times in your life where God showed His goodness to you personally. Read and pray slowly through Psalm 23. Which phrases stand out most from this psalm? Why? Talk with God about what comes up.

*To purchase a copy of Dr. Berding's book on Amazon, click HERE.