My prayer for the promise of Psalm 23:1: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want”

My notes on Psalm 23:1, which I wrote in my ESV Journaling Bible, Interleaved Edition:

23:1: “The Lord is my shepherd”: You are my shepherd, Lord. I am helpless apart from you. I can’t protect myself. I can’t lead myself. I don’t have the ability to discern the right path for myself. There are many wild animals and thieves who want to do me harm. Defend me, protect me, lead me—save me from my own stupidity and self-confidence. I gladly surrender to you, Lord. My life is in your hands. “I shall not want”: Years ago, I made too little of this verse. Give me the faith, Lord, to risk making much of it! It’s the same promise you make when you tell me, “Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). It’s the same promise you make when you tell me, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Luke 11:9). It’s the same promise you make when you tell me, through Paul, “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). This is not wishful thinking; this is not hyperbole. You will give me everything I truly need. Inasmuch as “what I need” fails to correspond to “what I want,” change my wants! I often only want things that wouldn’t be good for me, anyway!