When the Lord Is Your Shepherd, You Already Have the Miracles You Seek

A friend of mine loves Taco Bell’s nacho fries. They only have these fries available for short periods of time. May 18, 2022, was the last day of the fries for this season. My friend went in to savor his precious fries for what would probably be the last time for a few months. He asked the girl who took his order how many fries were left, and she told him there was only a case. He left the store thinking he had enjoyed his last nacho fries for a while.

Twenty minutes later, he heard a knock. The person at his door was an upper-echelon manager for Taco Bell; in his arms was a case of nacho fries that he sold to my friend.

Think for a moment about what had to happen logistically for my friend to get that last case of nacho fries. For starters, someone had to care. Then this person would have to figure out where my friend lived; all in a matter of 20 minutes. This was a completely unplanned event. It was a matter of the heavenly Father fulfilling his child’s desire. We have a heavenly Father who cares about the frivolous things!

The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever (Ps. 23, NLT).

As you were reading this psalm, did you think, When this happens in heaven, what a fantastic day that will be? That is part of the reason many don’t see the miracles they need. We look at this as a future event rather than a present reality. We don’t apply this Scripture to our lives now because we see God as distant and not active in this life.

Read the psalm again slowly, this time, bringing to mind all the ways the Lord has blessed you in this life.

When David wrote this psalm, that is exactly what he was doing: recalling the many times God actively intervened on his behalf. He wasn’t daydreaming about how life would be; he was writing about how active and present God was in his life. When David wrote “You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies,” he wasn’t writing while being anxious that the enemy would swoop in and steal the banquet. He was enjoying the feast without a thought about his enemies because God was protecting him.

Yet we live our lives thinking the enemy can swoop in and steal the feast God has already prepared for us. We think that we have to defend ourselves and be on the lookout for the enemy instead of being carefree and enjoying the feast. In fact, we should be inviting the enemy to come in and enjoy the feast with us! That is the confidence we should have in the victory the Lord has won for us and in his ability to provide for us. He is the shepherd who took on the responsibility of being our provider willingly and joyfully.

Instead of waiting for the day to happen, we should view it as having already happened. Then, just as was the case with my friend and his fries, God will consistently bless us even with the small desires of our heart.

Let us embrace the Holy Spirit as active in our lives and truly believe the truth in this psalm. Then we won’t question whether the miraculous is the Lord’s will or when the healing will happen—because the life-giving breath of the Holy Spirit will constantly be flowing in us and through us, and the miraculous will flow freely and easily.

Be blessed, be healed and be a blessing. {eoa}