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Lack

         Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous. The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care, and their inheritance will endure forever. In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty. (Psalm 37:16-19)

 The Lord is my Shepherd. I lack nothing.  (Psalm 23:1)

 I have to admit, I struggle with my vision of these verses. Enjoy plenty? Lack nothing? Having rarely not enjoyed plenty (even if I thought I was poor), I haven’t really tested this, and quite frankly, I’m afraid to face it. At the same time, I’m learning more about God’s provision and His plenty. I’ve volunteered at and benefitted from food pantries. I have friends who have repaired things and taught me how to repair things.

Thanks to a wealth of information available online and through libraries, I am learning about plants, both wild and domestic, how to raise them, and how to use them. I’m also learning some simple recipes that reduce costs. I’ve found and been given meaningful work and supplies that have enhanced my life. All-in-all, God has proven Himself true to this word as far as I have allowed or needed Him to.

But there are some things these passages don’t tell us, some lacks we may want and don’t have, or some lacks we face while not facing general lack. We may not want to have challenges or struggles, but God doesn’t promise we will lack those. In fact, He makes it clear that we will face challenges and struggles. We may lack the mansion and nice car we want, but that doesn’t mean we lack somewhere to live or can’t find a way to get somewhere.

It may be that we think we lack because we have so much we don’t know how to cope with less. We may be privileged and blessed so much that a reduction feels like absence, but while we may speak of our lack or someone else’s, chances are that the person about whom we are speaking is still alive – or if not, then they do not lack because they do not need. 

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