Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.
Isaiah 26:4
If you know me, you know I’m a dog person. I always have been, and I imagine I always will be. I think we can learn so much from dogs. No. I’m serious. I know you’re probably wondering how a dog can teach a man new tricks, but there are things we can learn about our relationship with animals that help us to understand our relationship with the Lord.
We can Trust the Lord to love us
There is something about a dog. One of my favorite dogs who ever lived with us recently died. But I want to tell you a couple of things about her. She was my favorite dog of all time. She would follow me wherever I went. If I sat down, she would quickly jump up into my lap and snuggle down to get warm. Honestly, If I sat in that chair all day, she would sit with me. She never bit me and always loved the attention she received from most anyone she met. She never met a stranger and always greeted them with a toy with the hope they would play with her. She trusted everyone.
So what does this have to do with trusting the Lord to love us? I loved Riley unconditionally…even when I had to walk her in 25-degree weather. In so many ways, that is how the Lord relates to us. You know, a dog is so loyal to his/her owner. Riley was loyal. But I was faithful to her as well. I believe she knew that I loved her because of all the little special things we did. I’m not trying to be sappy, but just trying to say that the relationship a dog owner has for his/her dog is similar in many ways to the love God has for us. It is consistent, uncompromising, faithful, and unconditional.
We can trust the Lord to care for us
There was one thing Riley knew. Whenever she finished “her business” outside in the morning, I would greet her with a treat. She loved those treats and there was an expectation for that treat. If I, for some reason, forgot to give her a treat she would nearly trip me to remind me that I forgot. She would walk so close to me and sometimes even bark.
You know, as I get older I forget things. But Riley would not let that happen. Every morning she would get a treat, fill her water bowl, and her food bowl had more than she could eat.
Riley could trust me to take care of her. She always had food, water, treats, and lots of love and belly rubs.
This is the way the Lord works in our lives. He cares for us because He loves us. We can always trust the Lord to care for us. We are His children, and even when we are at times unfaithful to Him, He still loves us with unconditional love. We can trust Him to care for us. Unlike Riley, we don’t have to beg and bark.
We can trust the Lord to protect us
Mornings with Riley were always a little dangerous. She was a small dog and, in many ways, from a 100 ft. view could look like a very small rabbit walking and hopping around the yard. Like many, we have hawks that glide around our cul-de-sac, looking for easy prey. Riley was that easy prey. Of course, Riley never knew there were hawks, but I did. Riley had no idea of the potential danger overhead, but I did. I would go out with her many times to keep the hawks from a breakfast buffet. Riley thought I was just taking a walk.
So what does this have to do with anything? There is no doubt that God is our Rock, and we can trust Him unconditionally. Even when we don’t realize it, God is in the business of protecting us and caring for us in ways we don’t see. His care is remarkable and thorough. His concern doesn’t mean that arthritis, tendonitis, painitis, and all those other itis issues go away. But it does mean that we can trust the Lord to protect us in ways we might not even see, know, or understand.
I have to share one last story with you. Riley was the kind of dog who loved to ride. She would ride in my truck anywhere with me and would sit on my lap and be absolutely content. She was never nervous or scared. She just loved to ride. As she got older, I would occasionally put her on the riding mower I have, and she would cut the grass with me. SHE LOVED IT! You would think the loud noise of the blades rotating thousands of times per minute would scare her. But nope. She would sit on my lap and enjoy the ride. Do you know why? Because she trusted me. I never dropped her or caused her any reason to distrust me.
Think about it. Just two feet below her was a danger she didn’t even realize. One slip, one drop, and she could have been severely hurt. But she just trusted me to take care of her.
That’s what the Lord does for us. He protects us even when we don’t realize it. You can trust God in every situation to protect you. He is our Rock. He is our immovable rock. He steadfastly cares for us and protects us. He is our immovable Rock who cares so much for us. Even in the world today, when it is difficult to see His protecting hands, He is doing so much for us. Love Him, and thank Him.
We can trust Him forever.