Psalm 23:1

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

Where it comes from

David wrote this psalm, and David had been a shepherd before he was ever a king. He knew what the job involved: finding grass and water, carrying the lame, standing between the flock and whatever wanted to eat it. Then he turned the picture around and put himself among the sheep.

What it means

"I shall not want" does not mean I will get everything I want. It means I will lack nothing I need, because the one responsible for me is competent and kind. Sheep do not plan. They follow. The psalm is read at hospital beds and gravesides because it is for people who cannot fix the situation and need to know someone is leading them through it.