Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”
NL Daily Devotion for Sunday, June 20, 2021
by Dr. Kimberly Leetch, Clergy Stuff
Main Idea: We were created to be interdependent with God.
Independence and self-sufficiency are marks of success in our world. If we can make the money, we can be celebrated. If we can have the upper hand in our relationships, we will not let others hurt us. If our children are smarter than yours, our houses cleaner, or our positions higher, then we have reached the pinnacle.
God sees it differently. God’s ideal for us is not position and power. It is humility and interdependence. “The Lord is my shepherd.” Already, God desires that we be in relationship with God. And in our relationship with God, we will never have the upper hand (nor should we). In that relationship, success is measured by our ability to rely on God for everything important—food, shelter, protection, comfort.
It can be hard to surrender our long-fought-for power and position. It can be painful to admit we cannot have it all, and we cannot do it alone. If we can shift our expectation of ourselves and of others, we might see that interdependence—relying on God, relying on others, and being one others can rely on—can satisfy far more and far longer than our quest for independence.
![1 Kings 17:1-16 [17-24], God’s Care for the Widow](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b39b61ab48de92d991a40a/bf37035e-33d5-439f-a0d6-a68b02d0f1bc/24-11-03.jpg)
