Our Constant Wants Can Lead To Constant Discontentment

"Our Constant Wants Can Lead to Constant Discontentment"
By Zach Wood

Psalm 23:1

As I begin this week's devotional, I'd like to share a few different translations of this Scripture.

(New International Version)

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

(New Living Translation)

The Lord is my shepherd, I have everything I need.

(The Message)

God, my shepherd!  I don’t need a thing.

 

We tend to face many phases of discontentment in lives.  If something fails or doesn’t hold up to the standard we set in our mind, we look elsewhere for the next promise of happiness or satisfaction.  Some look for a new “high” when the buzz wears off, some seek out the nearest bank to rob when money troubles leave them desperate, and some resort to other means of false hope and desperation. 

Has God not promised to supply every need we have in life?  It’s important and vital to realize God fills our needs.  I think so many times in life we fail to realize our needs are always met, but not always our wants.  It’s because our hearts are being lured by what the world wants us to have.  The promise of happiness from some of the wants turns out to last about 1 night, 1 day, 1 week or 1 month. 

The ultimate entanglement that the prison of “want” leaves us in is constant discontentment.  Satan will make sure we are never fully satisfied.  We just want more and more.  It feels like a need, but Satan has disguised it well in our mind and heart.  

Placing too much importance on things we want has a huge effect on how we view our eternal needs.  When we reach a point where we see our lives being filled with constant wants, we should take a step back and see that our soul desire and ultimate want should be our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

It all comes down to what we truly desire.  Do we want the Lord to really be our ultimate want?  Do we trust in Him to supply our needs?  Are we fully satisfied to the point where we can live without what we do not need?  Can we trust in the Lord to provide what we need when we need it?