The Lord feeds me, and therefore I shall not lack. For what can be wanting to the one who is led by Him who is all things? To confess the Lord as shepherd is to acknowledge that we are sheep—weak, dependent, and in need of guidance. The soul that would be sufficient to itself wanders; but the one that entrusts itself to God is gathered and kept. For He does not merely show the way from afar, but Himself leads, Himself nourishes, Himself sustains.

This feeding is not of the body only, but of the inner man. For there are many who abound outwardly and yet are empty within. But he whom the Lord feeds is filled with better things—truth instead of error, peace instead of restlessness, and a quiet sufficiency that does not depend on earthly change. Thus the soul learns not to hunger for what passes away, but to rest in what endures.

Nor does it say simply, “The Lord is a shepherd,” but “my shepherd.” This is the voice of one who belongs, who has been brought into the fold and made part of the flock. For not all can say this, but only those who follow. Many hear the Shepherd’s voice, yet do not obey; many are called, yet remain scattered. But the one who is led by Him, and does not turn aside, may rightly say, “I shall not want,” because he desires nothing outside of Him who is enough.

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Source: St. Augustine, Expositions on the Psalms, Psalm 22 (NPNF Series 1, Vol. 8).