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Isaiah 30:18 – Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! (NIV)
Every day, my seven canines get a treat to help them maintain strong and healthy teeth. They never receive the treat at the same time on any given day. I hand them out when I fill up their food bowls for the evening meal. Sometimes, I do this early in the day, sometimes later.
My seven canines used to be eight, and it was this eighth one that reinforced a valuable lesson for me, day in and day out, the older that he got. By the time that he was twelve, he was totally deaf. By the time that he was fifteen, his sight had greatly deteriorated. His cataracts were so thick that I doubt he was able to see very much. He was such a happy little fellow, though, always full of joy right from the first day he came to live with me, and still quite spry at the age of sixteen.
Every day when it was treat time, even though he was deaf and basically blind, he always seemed to know. I would reach for the biscuits from the cupboard and turn around, and there would be seven dogs gathered in expectation. I would dole out the goodies one by one, until I had only one left, which was Casey's. And where would number eight be? Always sitting, waiting patiently in complete trust behind everyone else. He never barked or whined or tried to get his first, even though it would have been easy for him to walk under the bigger dogs' legs to get to the front of the line. Rather, he had learned over the years that he was never forgotten; he was never left out; he would receive that for which he hoped.
Casey died just before Christmas, shortly after his sixteenth birthday. He suffered a stroke during his sleep, and though it did not take him, the time had come to say goodbye.
Now, every day when I turn around with the treats in my hand and see all my friends gathered in anticipation, I remember the wonderful gift that Casey left me: the trust factor. And I remember that the Lord longs to be gracious to me, for the Lord is a God of justice, and blessed are all who wait for Him.
Perhaps today, you may be feeling left out or forgotten. The Lord seems to be blessing everyone else but you. If so, fear not; instead, embrace Casey's gift: the trust factor. Trust in the promises and the goodness of God. Wait patiently for Him, and you will not be disappointed with the blessing that He has in store just for you.
Prayer: Father God, thank You so much that You long to be gracious to us, Your children. Thank You that You show compassion and are a God of justice. Thank You that we are blessed when we wait for You, for never will You leave us or forget us. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen.
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Patience is always rewarded.
What a beautiful devotional! Thank you!
Beautiful story and reminder, Lynne. Thank you!
Beautifully written devotional and tribute to Casey and trust.
Thank you, Lynne. Animals can teach us many things, can’t they?
Beautiful to read Lynne. Thanks.
(BC)
Thanks, Lynne. We can learn so many lessons from animals. I remember it being reasonable that dog spelled backwards is god. Interesting.
Thank you, Lynne, for your beautiful devotional. It has really reinforced what I know to be true and helped me to remember to be more patient and trusting.
Lynne,
What a lovely devotional about trust in every day circumstances. Your devotionals are always inspiring.
Oh Lynne, I could almost see your canine friends gathered around with sweet Casey waiting patiently behind the others. What a touching devotional with a very good message. Thanks for sharing this with us. Blessings.
Thank you for another wonderful lesson from our animal friends. You message is always great and easy to remember. Thanks for using so many of God’s creature s to teach God’s mighty lessons.
(Texas)
Hi Lynne,
Just the message I needed today so beautifully depicted by your loving band of dogs.
May God continue to use and inspire you.
Blessings.
Lynne
Thank you for this gentle gracious reminder of the trust factor and the trust which Casey had that you would never forget him, just like Jesus will never forget us.
Blessings.
Hello Lynne,
Beautiful devotional this morning. Lynne. Loyalty and obedience of dogs to their owners is so precious and how much more is our Lord’s dedication to being there for us and ever ready to listen for our prayers.
Blessings to you and thanks for sharing special memories of your pet.
(B.C.)
Hello Lynn
What a beautiful devotional. Casey sounds like a real treat to have as a pet. It is heart breaking when the day comes to say good bye. We had dogs and now we just have the one.
Yes, thank goodness God is faithful and trustworthy, in Him we know we will never be left alone or left out of anything.
God bless.
Hi Lynne,
You have a wonderful gift of taking the everyday and making it meaningful. Thank you.
We have welcomed a new puppy into our lives at the ranch. In our 80’s we are wondering if she is going to keep us young or make us old! Dogs, cats, a herd of cattle, and three donkeys keep us going.
Thanks again for your thoughts and God’s blessings to you.
Dear Lynne,
You are so good to your chi-animals I say chi-animals because I can tell you love them as much as you would love your dear children. They have also been so instrumental when it comes to reinforcing and teaching us biblical lessons and truth. Today was no exception, what a beautiful example and object lesson Casey taught us today about patience and trust. Thank you, it was a great devotional!
What a beautiful testimonial Lynne. I love your story of Casey’s trust. It resonates with me immensely.
I always considered myself a child of God, but always moved to my plan. Well, a couple of years ago my kidneys were failing. As it turned out, my wife donated a kidney to me. Definitely God’s hand at work. After the transplant, I was taking huge does of immuno-suppressant drugs that sent me into a tail spin of very deep depression. There were days when I would have preferred to die. Despite these feelings, I kept telling myself that God did not make sure I got a kidney for me to throw in the towel. I finally learned what it really meant to trust in the Lord. He carried me through the deepest dark period of my life. Today I am healthy and feel better than I have in the past 30 years.
Your beautiful testimonial prompted me to share my experience in REALLY learning to trust in God.
Wish I had known Casey, he sounds like he was a wonderful companion. We have a little dog and he does not have a nice personality. Growls all the time. He does love us, but as soon as we try to touch him or pick him up, he growls at us.
God’s blessings upon you.
What a beautiful story.
Animals have so much to teach us.
It will stay with me.
Thank you.
Hi Lynn
Another good devotion write up!
Thanks. I’ve been patiently waiting and praying for partners for my girls and only God knows. Like Casey l will continue to believe wait hope and pray.
Stay blessed.
Lovely Lynne! A pleasant read. Thanks for sharing.
(Ontario)
Hi Lynne,
We do feel left out and forgotten sometimes and we always come to the conclusion that everybody is busy. At least that appears to be the justification. Good to be reminded that Jesus never forgets us.
Thank you for writing. Seven dogs, I can’t imagine!
Thank You!
Dear Lynne, You’re a great writer and thanks for sharing your incredible story. I love how God can touch our lives and teach us amazing lessons through our pets!