Before I set off on a journey... - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2026

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Psalm 23:1

Before I set off on a journey, I check that I haven't forgotten anything. For some years I have kept a check-list containing all that is needed on every journey. It has proved its usefulness. Before every trip I go through the different things listed to make sure that nothing is missing in my luggage.

Psalm 23, in which David describes the various needs people have on their life's journey, could be compared with such a list. But has it struck you how he proceeds? He does not go through all that is necessary so as to establish finally that nothing is missing. He begins with a vital fact: "The LORD is my shepherd", immediately adding his conclusion: "I shall not want."

Isn't that remarkable? For David riches do not consist in the Lord's provision of his various requirements, even though that is also true. What is decisive for him is that the Lord is his shepherd: he has a personal relationship with his Lord: he knows the Good Shepherd. That suffices for him to be able to say: "I shall not want."

This great benefit, this personal relationship to the Good Shepherd is possible for all even today. If we are one with Christ through faith, we have been "enriched in everything by him" (1 Corinthians 1:5). Christ is then our Lord and our shepherd, and we belong to Him. That is enough to make a person happy and truly content in his life and to enable him to look confidently to the future.

Today's reading: Exodus 2:1-15 · Luke 1:13-25