El Señor es mi pastor; nada me faltará. (Salmo 23:1)

June 11, 2011

Giedra with Glenda in the village of Bethel

On Tuesday of this week, the psalm of the day during our individual quiet time was Psalm 23.  When we got to the church in Trohilo, I was tickled to find that the first verse was written on the back wall in Spanish. When you look at the literal translation of the Spanish version, it’s a little different than the traditional English “I shall not want,” which in our culture we take to mean “I will not desire anything” instead of “I shall not want for anything.”  The Spanish makes this clear, since the second clause literally means something more like “nothing will be missing for me.”

A big takeaway for me on this trip is that the Lord really is my shepherd, and while there may be things I think I want, He will provide the things I truly need. While I may have wanted at various moments to be cooler, to have less rain or more rain, to have water for a shower, to know what was coming next…..I learned that the heat wasn’t all that bad, that water would be provided, that Gatorade would be provided (sometimes even the extra-delicious blue GATORADE), that the water would come when it would come, that we’d do the activity that worked when it worked…..in other words, that we’d get what we needed.

Last night this lesson was underscored for me again when I was up from 2 to 4 experiencing the special illness that afflicts travelers. Strangely, I found myself thinking how lucky I was. I’m not vomiting! I have a flashlight with which to read this pamphlet about said special illness! I have an antibiotic to take! I don’t think I have ever in my life felt lucky to be sick, but last night I did. The Lord is my shepherd, indeed; there is nothing missing for me.

(Written by Giedra Campbell)

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