Labrador Faith

I read a devotional this morning about how God uses every day things to teach us deep spiritual truths. The example the author gave for this is how her 110 lb Labrador Retriever lays down quietly near his water bowl and waits for her to refill it when it’s empty instead of whining, barking or rattling the dish to get her attention, confident in her care for him that in time, she will notice and will refill it for him. That story was both adorable and convicting!

I am more often like my daughter’s cat than this author’s dog! Mornings usually begin with the sound of our 14-year-old cat using her paw to drag the metal water dish across the bare tile floor in the kitchen, letting EVERYONE know how we need to serve her with FRESH water, not this stale fare from the previous night!

Although Jesus tells us to “knock and keep on knocking” (Luke 11:9 AMPC), He also tells us that God is not like the unjust judge in Luke 18 that we need to “wear out” with our prayers to get what we need. All throughout the Bible we are encouraged to ask, and then trust. We are called to “wait upon the Lord” (Psalm 27:14), patiently and with calm assurance of His love for us. We are also given a sneak peak into the rewards for displaying such confident faith: Isa. 40:31 tells us we will renew our strength and walk and not grow weary or faint. Ps 33:18 says His Eye will be on those who revere and Him. Psalm 37 tells us our light will go before us when we trust and wait patiently for Him. Isa 25:9 says we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation. And Zephaniah 3:8 says God will rise up and fight the battles for those who wait for Him.

There is no doubt God hears our cries for help (Psalm 72:2), rescues us from our troubles (Ps 136:24) and provides for us according to His riches in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19). With these assurances, I pray that this year, instead of a bowl-rattling cat kind of faith, God will help me rest in a Labrador kind of Faith in Him – waiting by the “well” of His “Water of the Word”, confident that He knows my need and in His good time, He will give me the refreshment, the answers and everything I wait on Him for!