Lessons from the Dog
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. Ps 34:8
My silly little dog is a treasure. He is always glad to see me when I come in, even if nobody else is. If I am feeling sad or scared in the middle of the night, he hardly ever fusses about being picked up and cuddled. As little as he is, I have no doubt that he would tear up someone who tried to hurt me. He loves to go for walks. I was saying, “I’m going to take the dog on a ‘you-know-what,’” so he wouldn’t flip out when I said walk. Now he knows what a “you-know-what” is and starts flipping out when I say that. One day we went on a “you-know-what.” It was summer time in West Texas, and it had been miserably hot. (That may be redundant.) We had had a thunderstorm which had cooled it down some, and we took the opportunity to get outside. As we walked along, I guess Benji’s little feet got hot. When we crossed a street about halfway through our route, there was a puddle about two feet across. He stepped into the puddle. I expected him to take a drink and then keep going, but he had other ideas. He lay down in the middle of the puddle with all four feet stretched out. I laughed and so did several people driving by. I tried to get him to come on, but he had the brakes on. I finally managed to get him out of the puddle and walked home with a pile of soaking wet puppy dog.
While I was minding my own business laughing at the dog, God showed me something. Many times when I come to worship or have quiet time with God, I am tempted to just stick to the edges. I may read my devotional books but not really focus. I may sing but not think about what I am singing. I may even sit on the end of the pew and be tempted to leave early. I have told my friends before to let me sit on the inside so it will be harder for me to bail out. Sometimes it is busy-ness and sometimes it is feelings of unworthiness or guilt. What I want is to be like my dog. I want to plunge into God’s presence and revel in it. One thing I need to do more of is just sit in God’s presence and be still and listen. That is not a natural thing in our culture, but we need it.
God is never too busy for you and is always available. He wants you to share your hurts, your fears, your joys and triumphs with Him. The psalmist says, “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord than dwell in the tents of the wicked” (Ps. 84:10). We also read, “Oh taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalms 34:8) Hebrews tells us that through Christ we can come boldly before the throne of grace. (4:16)
If you need friends like mine who will help you into the presence of God and not let you skip out on it, I pray that you will find them. Let’s desire the presence of God so much that nothing can keep us away. Whether you meet Him in your prayer closet or in your worship service, meet with Him. He loves you to the very core of your being and sent Jesus to die for you so that you could be His child.
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